


Frequency G

by Insolentknight



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M, Mutation, Not all pairings are immediate, Out of Character, Post-Apocalypse, Probably sloburn, Temporary Character Death, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-09-20 10:59:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17021412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insolentknight/pseuds/Insolentknight
Summary: 100 years ago, humanity discovered the cure to all its ailments. Disease and injury no longer meant anything, but we never knew this "cure" was sowing the seeds for our destruction. Half a century ago, Frequency G swept the globe. Humanity stands on its last legs and our heroes continue to fall, with the latest tragedy being Vale's Hero - Ruby Xiao Long. Post-Apoc/Zombie AU.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Some of you may recognize this as a fic by the name of The Last Stand on FF.net. Well, I’ve been on this kick where I’m reorganizing some stories that I felt weren’t quite up to par. Instead, I’ve decided to rename the story after what has caused the state of this world. Anyway, while a lot is still similar, I want to flesh out my characters a bit more and fix some flaws in the storyline. Much is still the same, but Agent Rose isn’t quite as much of an asshole as she was in the first draft. The prologue is also completely different, though the original will come into play later. Anyway, let me know what you guys think!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Some of you may recognize this as a fic by the name of The Last Stand. Well, I’ve been on this kick where I’m reorganizing some stories that I felt weren’t quite up to par. Instead, I’ve decided to rename the story after what has caused the state of this world. Anyway, while a lot is still similar, I want to flesh out my characters a bit more and fix some flaws in the storyline. Much is still the same, but Agent Rose isn’t quite as much of an asshole as she was in the first draft. The prologue is also completely different, though the original will come into play later. Anyway, let me know what you guys think!
> 
> UPDATE MADE 12/21/2018: I will list updates in the End Notes!

 

“What the fuck did you do?!”

_…So angry…_

“I-I… How is she- I didn’t mean to?”

_What’s going on?... Wait, I can’t move… Why can’t I move?!_

“Weiss!!!” The first voice yelled. “How the fuck could you shoot her?!”

“I didn’t know it was her!” The second voice screamed back. “How can it be her?!” Her consciousness slipping in and out, she tried to make sense of what happened, but it was only now that she was piecing them together. Violent jerking motions shook the world around her and with every clank that responded, she became aware that she was in a vehicle of some sort. Pain seared every time it rocked with the terrain and a firm pressure on her abdomen bobbed up and down, making the pain worse. Still in fight or flight mode, she attempted to lift herself, but her body refused her orders… She was so, so tired. On the way back down, she caught a glimpse of the large amount of blood covering a pair of hands… Whose hands?

“BE QUIET!” A third voice yelled from above her. “I can’t concentrate and it isn’t helping this girl! Instead of arguing, you two could be helping!” The voice belonged to a boy of Asian descent with sleek, dark hair tied back and bangs that framed his face. If it weren’t for the sheer amount of pain racking through her body, she might have thought about how cute the single section of highlighted pink hair was… But that wasn’t important.

“What do you need?” The first voice was a lot closer now – a blonde woman with a sunny mane of hair tied back and features both youthful and voluptuous. A black ball cap sat atop her head, tilted backwards at angle, keeping any remaining strands of hair out of her lilac eyes.

… _Yang… Her hair is so long now…_

“Keep your...hands…. appl… pres….sure,” the boy tried to yell over the gunfire that scattered his words. Behind them, the rest of their team stood with their weapons drawn and tried to keep their footing as they rocked back and forth. A large bump jolted everyone into the air, slamming them into the benches that lined the interior. With a loud thud, she slammed into the floor and everything went black.

For a while, everything was quiet… Too quiet… Opening her eyes, she struggled to lift her head and rested her sights on the damaged vehicle she assumed had been carrying them. Its disheveled state showed that it had possibly rolled over on itself, though it had somehow managed to right itself. Well, that explained how she could have been tossed outside of it… but outside meant no one was safe. Dammit… she only hoped that the driver was alright… and what about the others?

Scanning over her surroundings, she located the bodies of the rescue squad tossed about haphazardly – the blonde and a black-haired woman with feline features on the ground near her, a snowy-haired girl hung partially from the cargo door of the armored truck, and the boy from earlier was toppled over further inside with a strawberry blonde in his arms. This was why she had often instructed that hatches should be closed, but as per the gunfire, she supposed they were still being pursued.

The blonde moaned in pain, but made no other movements – clearly a concussion. Sadly, she was the most alert of all. At a glance, the rest of the crew appeared to be breathing, but her current state would make it a difficult journey to check on them. She was aware of the grave injury she had also suffered but all this blood would draw _them_. Why did it have to her old squad that she ran into? This wasn’t supposed to happen yet.

Almost on cue, a loud growl came from her side, but it hurt too much to twist her head. She didn’t need to look though… She already knew. Slow, methodical footsteps padded across the dry dirt, followed by flurry of synchronized ones.

“Stop!” The stampede halted all at once, leaving only the much more carefree stride to continue its swagger up to her. After years of being side-by-side, there was no way she couldn’t recognize that characteristic walk. A high-heeled sandal that snaked around a slender foot thudded down in front of her face and she hung her head. “So nice to see you, my love. It’s been, what, half a year?”

“I can’t say the same, F411,” she gave a tired laugh as she looked up. “But it’s good to see you still have the same love for those lady stilts.” With a predatorial look in her amber eyes, the woman known as F411 smiled and flaunted the lengthy black hair that curled down her back. A snarl came from behind her and she waved her hand in a halting motion.

“Patience, children!” F411 rolled her eyes as she spoke with amusement. “Really, they can be such a handful sometimes.” The woman on the ground coughed, spattering blood across the ground – some of it landing on the visible parts of F411’s foot between the sleek straps, causing F411 to frown in distaste. “Speaking of rude children, I see you don’t look so well.”

“I’ve had worse days,” she gave a fake grin, hacked once more, and turned serious. “I could be getting _stabbed in the back_ , couldn’t I- whoa?” Something grabbed the back of her collar and suspended her in the air, in front of F411. Swaying with the wind, she could hear a liquid of some sort patter against the dry dirt… Damn, she was bleeding out again. F411 wrapped a hand around her chin and tapped in thought as she gave her a once over and let out a sound of contemplation.

“See, we were having _such_ a wonderful reunion and then you had to go and bring _that_ up? Is it always – you look _terrible_ by the way - going to be like this?” The insult was tossed in like an afterthought as F411 taunted her, alluding to this scenario being a common occurrence. “I could make this all stop. Right now. Take the pain away… All you need to do is abandon the unrealistic ideals of those silly Hunters and join me!” F411 pleaded with her. “We don’t have to just be numbers in a system, R053! We have names! We are alive and you know that!” R053 laughed… She laughed hard… She was empty…

“Only one of us is _alive_ , Cinder.” F411’s expression grew cold at the use of her birth name and R053’s head jerked violently to the side as a swift backhand came hard across her face, but R053 never gave her the courtesy of looking back at her. She simply remained as she was in a further act of defiance. “You’ll never understand, Cin. Things can never be the way they were before…”

“Stop! Stop saying that! You don’t kno-“

“I do!” R053 yelled over her. “What you’ve done to this world,” her voice broke as she faced Cinder once more. “To me… You’ve robbed us all.” Cinder’s head sank and she gritted her teeth. “You will _never_ have me and I will _never_ forgive you!” Immediately in response, Cinder lifted her eyes. Her irises began to deteriorate into a glowing white, outlined in a blood red that branched out in veiny webs across a dark grey sclera. Behind her, her children rose to their shadowy haunches in their excitement, teeth gleaming with saliva and eyes glowing a more fearsome red.

“Very well, R053,” she sniffled and disguised her hurt with a cordial voice as she snapped her fingers. “If I can’t, then no one will.” A large hand wrapped around R053, holding her steady and granting her a view of her rescuers from between its digits. “But first, the price for denying me.” The canine-like creatures charged after R053’s would-be saviors. “Eat your fill, my precious children!”

“Heheheh.”A muffled laugh came from within the large fingers that covered R053’s face.

“What’s so humorous?”A vibrant white glow leaked from the crack between the mystery creature’s fingers before a line of blood burst from the second digit of each finger, as a large blade sliced through them. The giant clutched its hand in pain, wailing as it painted the ground a dark red with its putrid blood. Planting the spine-like staff of her weapon into the ground, R053 leaned into it, using it as a staff to bare her weight. The now blood-soaked rider that R053 wore covered her face, lending a more foreboding appearance when coupled with her glowing eyes and scythe. A crackle of electricity sparked from the rod and Cinder’s eyes widened.

“FU-,“ R053 lifted the staff and slammed the blade into the ground, emitting a large electrical pulse that reached toward all the creatures, twisting their sinewy bodies in impossible positions. Eyes widening, Cinder covered her face and a black dust enveloped her, sparking as her form dispersed into tiny particles. As the bodies of Cinder’s “children” collapsed, R053 knelt to her feet in relief. “I’ll remember this next time… Ruby.” Grimacing at the use of her former name, she hoped their next run-in wouldn’t be anytime soon.

Looking among the bodies of her “saviors”, she hoped they hadn’t been harmed. To her relief, she had set the rod off just in time. She took a moment to really look at them before she did anything. Five years had been such a long time and they all looked so different… She had put them through so much pain all those years ago, and here she was, mere feet away and still unable to tell them that she had somehow managed to survive… They couldn’t know…

Beacon had invented a back story for why her appearance was so “similar” to that of the late Ruby Xiao Long… R053 was just an unknown look-alike from beyond the Hot Zone whose accomplishments were completely dwarfed by the person she had once been in Vale. To reiterate, she was not the real thing – just an alpha-numerical four digit code. When they woke up, she would have to hammer that into their heads and it would hurt so much, especially Yang and Weiss… but she wouldn’t be allowed to show it.

Pulling her mask back up, Ruby looked at the two girls one last time and grabbed the snath of her scythe to use as a walking stick. Hobbling toward the truck, she leaned into it to stabilize herself once she arrived at her destination. That walk took so much more out of her than it should have… She grazed her hand across the wounded area of her abdomen and let out a sharp hiss of pain. How the hell was she even still awake? Adrenaline was a hell of a thing!... Wait… Did she even get an adrenaline rush anymore??? Ugh, that wasn’t important! There was no time for that!

Swinging herself around with the rod, she clutched the door handle and pulled it open in one swing… Seriously? This dumbass didn’t even lock the door?! With a clank, something tapped the other side of the door and the side mirror hit the ground with a thud. After pondering on it for a moment, she decided it could be of use. She picked it up and held it under the driver’s nose, sighing in relief as his breathing fogged it up. Thankfully, he was just out cold. She unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted him across the seat. Grunting as she settled into the seat, she took a deep breath before setting the scythe beside her and tried the engine.

With a turn of the key, it revved, revved, revved, and died. Fuuuuuuuuck! She slammed her forehead against the steering wheel. Why! This just wasn’t her day, at all! First, she ran into her old team and got herself shot earlier, then Cinder, and now _this_! She let out a whine of frustration and huffed. How was she supposed to get them back to their home in Vale?

Okay! She psyched herself up! This happens all the time! Second time’s the charm! She turned the key to the ignition and held for just a moment aaaaaaand…………. VRRRRRRRRR! FUCKING YES!!!

Throwing it into reverse, she backed up to where the blonde and obsidian girls were, noting to herself that the mechanics at the Vale Stronghold were going to have a field day repairing this squad’s truck. The alignment was definitely out and the shocks were having a difficult time absorbing the jutted ground. The steering was taking a bit more effort than usual… so, power steering was definitely out too. Damn. Well, it was better than walking. Steam hissed from the engine but it was going to have to push on. As long as the gas line was fine, she could work with this. Coming to a stop, she was glad she started braking early. _Yep. Brake pads too._

Leaning out the door, she sighed exhaustedly, looking over the girls and compared the distance of the drive… This was going to take _FOREVER_ **!!!**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I thought it’d be cool to give you guys a bit of purpose for the storyline this time. We will be following Agent Rose as she tries to get back what Cinder has stolen from her. I’ve taken influences from Left4Dead, Dying Light, and Parasite Eve. I’m a huge lover of horror franchises, but I like the idea of Resident Evil’s Mutations, as opposed to just having zombies. Cities are now enclosed structures that keep mutations out and humanity in and the outer walls are where the military exists. Hunters are a special type of human that only come from one establishment that protects humanity from uncharted areas. I honestly hope to paint a world that feels similar to The Last of Us, which has probably jumped up to being my favorite horror franchise. Anyway, thanks for reading!
> 
> UPDATE 12/21/2018:
> 
> I have attempted to provide – i.e Ruby has not been around her former team in a while, a hint as to why, and some time line things.  
> Bolded words have been changed to italicized ones in several paragraphs.  
> Ruby refers to Squad 9 as “her old team”.  
> Cinder now indicates that it’s been half a year since she has seen Ruby.  
> Some sentences/paragraphs have been restructured.  
> It is indicated that everyone look different to a degree – i.e Yang’s hair is longer.  
> Ruby notes that it has been 5 years since she has seen her old team.  
> Ruby gives the reader information that she is under a new persona that Beacon has assigned to her.  
> The Vale Stronghold is stated to be the home of Squad 9.


	2. Squad 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the positive response. It’s been a while since I’ve seen some post-apoc stories in the RWBY category. Please, suggest some if you have them. I had a few I really like, but I think are all done or discontinued. I’m really excited to see the horror games 2019 is supposed to be getting! Anyway, enjoy!
> 
> UPDATE 12/21/2018 3:30AM EST:
> 
> I have added a time transition to help with understanding where things fall into place. This chapter takes place before and during the Prologue  
> Updates have been made to the Prologue. Information has been added.  
> ooOOoo

 

_An hour earlier…._

“Weiss…” There was a nudging at her arm. “Weiss, seriously, wake up.” A blurred image greeted her tired eyes as they tried to focus. The blob of colors began to shape themselves, molding into a person with dark hair and a slender physique. Amber colored irises looked over her with concern and the feline-like pair of ears that sat atop their head flattened. Recognition hit her and Weiss jolted up. Blake Belladonna: Squad 9’s second-in-command. “You were having nightmares again… We’ve almost reached our destination.”

Wiping away the remnants of sleep, she rubbed at her eyes. After a moment, she felt the concerned eyes of the rest of her team. Rest hadn’t come easily to her the last five years, especially around this time of year. She took a look around her, still feeling the absence of their once energetic as she delivered the most enigmatic speeches before every mission… but she supposed that was her job now. Dreading the vigor she needed to match, she stood up and took her position at the exit.

“Alright, everyone. Reports say that there is a group of survivors holing up in an abandoned home on the outskirts of the Wasteland. Recon says there are two floors and a single-room basement with as many as seven possible survivors. We are to clear the building and process them before we bring them in. Orders are to put down anyone who shows signs of muta- yes, Nora?” An energetic strawberry-blonde waved her right arm excitedly, drawing her leader’s attention.

“Weiss, I have a question!” The platinum-haired woman gave her encouraging look. “You suck at this.”

“That wasn’t a question, Nora.”

“Well, this isn’t a pep talk...” Nora fired back, earning a glare. “You gotta’ be all like, ‘Alright team! We’re gonna’ go out there, kick some serious butt, break some legs, and save some people… Emphasis on the leg breaking! GO TEAM!!!’”

“… Nora,” Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose in agitation. “Breaking their legs would be counterproductive.”

“But that’s the most important part,” she pouted and then whispered loudly. “And it’ll be fun!”

“Only you would find entertainment in something so dark,” Weiss rolled her eyes. “Alright team, let’s,” she sighed and unenergetically put a fist into the air. “… break some legs?”

“Booooooo!” It was the voice of the other troublemaker on the team. Yang Xiao Long, their late-captain’s blonde bombshell of an older sister, swung herself to the cargo door and grabbed onto the latch. For the life of her, Weiss couldn’t figure out what had possessed Ruby to place both of these women on the same team together. Energetic on their own, they were damn near uncontrollable when put together. Nevertheless, Weiss had left the team exactly the same since Ruby’s death. “Squad 9, what are we doing out here?” It was the other resident blonde, Jaune, that answered from the front passenger seat.

“Saving peo-“

“Wrong!” As the vehicle drew to a stop, she pulled the latch and the door slammed hard into ground, forming a ramp. “We’re kicking ass and taking names! At least, that’s what I’m doing! Nora can have all the legs!” A loud ‘Yessss’ came from the strawberry blonde. “Xiao Long, out!” The energetic woman swung out of the vehicle, pulling herself to its roof to survey the area.

Still inside, Weiss grimaced at the blonde’s spirited display and prayed to herself that it wouldn’t be too much to ask for Yang to be quiet enough as to not draw attention. Nora barreled past the squad leader in her haste to attach herself to their driver’s side, spinning Weiss around and knocking her off balance. Thankfully, Blake caught her and helped her regain her footing.

“They’re just excited to be outside the walls again, Weiss. It’s the adrenaline,” she offered as she walked Weiss out of the vehicle. Taking in their surroundings, the familiar sense of dread she experienced outside of the walls came over Weiss. Dilapidated single-family homes and the dusty remains of others that had burnt away decades ago stood testament to a time where things had not been so bad. Unfortunately, it also painted the dreadful of just how low the numbers of humanity had dwindled to.

To their side and loud creak croaked from a wind-weathered children’s park. Sadly, all that remained was the grater-like skeleton of a slide and rust-eaten that collapsed in on itself from decades of oxidation. In its center, a broken swing creaked back and forth, only held up by a single chain that dragged its twin across the shattered concrete.

As eerie as it was, it was still unmatched by the rotting wood, partially boarded windows, and overgrowth that covered the dwelling they were to be investigating. As her eyes swept over the roof, she noticed half had caved in on itself. Definitely not at the top of her list of places she wanted to be holed up during an overrun.

“It’s not exciting being out here, Blake. It’s dangerous. We all know how dangerous the Affected are.” Sadness flashed through the feline’s eyes and her ears flattened again. Weiss was still so haunted by Ruby’s death and it ate away at everything. It was almost as if she had lost the ability to enjoy even the smallest things in life and the team was suffering for it. Some of them wanted Blake to take over, but she truly hoped that if given enough support, Weiss would find it her heart to forgive herself and move forward. It wasn’t Weiss’ fault… “And we still have to keep an eye out for the Mutated.” The squad leader looked over the four other members of the team and divided them into partners. “Alright, Nora, you’re with Ren, as always… Jaune with Yang… and Blake,” the feline’s ears popped up excitedly at the sound of her name. “With m-.“

“Nuh-uh! Not today, Ice Queen!” The feline tried to resist the blonde’s grip, reaching out to Weiss and pouting as she was dragged away. “I think we should change things up a bit!” Jaune’s blue-eyes lit up and he became ecstatic at the prospect of working with Weiss.

“Hey, Snow Angel,” he came off confidently. “Everything is gonna’ be a-okay with me arou- hey!” with a roll of her eyes, the alabaster woman brushed him off and moved to the front of the house.

“Makes no difference to me, Yang.” Blake deflated at Weiss’ words as Weiss paused in thought. Noting the open entrance to herself, something didn’t quite sit right. “Alright, Jaune and I will take the top floor. Ren and Nora on the first. Blake and Yang in the basement.”

“Aw, man! Why the basement! There’s, like, _no_ windows down there!” Yang whined. “No lights!”

“Well, you wanted to work with Blake,” Weiss grinned smugly. “The _cat_ Faunus that can see in the _dark_.”

“Wait… Did I just get tricked?!” Damn, Weiss had played her. She should have thought this one through! She was starting to get predictable. “Well played, Ice Queen. Well played.”

“Alright, let’s get a move on. I’d like to get back home before nightfall.”

Entering the home and spreading out, the state of the first floor begged for the team to do an initial sweep together. Bits of flesh were embedded into long gashes that spanned across the blood spattered walls. Limbs were strewn about the home and any furnishings that had been left behind were overturned. Blake covered her nose, trying to block out the overwhelming scent of blood.

“Ugh, this blood is fresh. Something’s wrong here, Weiss.”

“I noticed,” the squad leader said absently. Blake was right. None of this looked right. “We need to find out what did this.”

“Weiss, found your answer!” Nora called, waving at them to come to the kitchen. In the kitchen, was the rotting carcass of a freshly mutilated Beowolf. With its throat slashed and its appendages removed, something had made short work of it. While it wasn’t uncommon for Alphas to fight each other, whatever did this was intelligent. The cuts were too neat and deliberate.

Upon closer inspection, Weiss noticed something that stood out among the five digit slashes and punctures iconic to the claws of a Beowolf. It was a lone slash or puncture that appeared among them, and in some cases, the slain humans looked like they had been torn to pieces. In other cases, only precision cuts were present.

“Maybe the people fought back?” Ren offered. “But who tries to fight one of these with a blade?”

“Someone who doesn’t have another option?” Yang offered. “I know I would if I was desperate.”

“Still though,” Blake was knelt to the ground, looking over the tracks in the dusty floors. “These people don’t look like the Affected, nor do these footprints match what they would leave behind.” She pointed her finger at a particular print and followed the trail. “This person is small and their movements are very deliberate.” Blake stopped where the tracks met with the Beowolf’s and she pressed her back to the wall with her arms spread out – her hand lining up with a dent in the wall. “The Beowolf pinned them here and the impact knocked their weapon from their hand. It landed right there.” She pointed at a puncture in the floor. “But they must have carried more than one weapon. From here, everything matches with the Beowolf’s present state… They attacked both humans and Mutated. Why save these people just to kill them after?… A wastelander, maybe?”

“True, not all wastelanders are friendly survivors. Survival out here is strictly opportunistic, so it isn’t uncommon for them to turn on one another.” For untrained people, a single individual may have been a problem, but with their training, the squad should be fine. “Alright, let’s spread out and see what we can find.” The uneasiness in Weiss’ voice was apparent. No one liked the look in her eyes. It meant she would most likely become reckless. “Nora and Ren, see what you can find. The rest of us will search the other floors. Use your radios if you find anything.”

“Aye, aye, Captain!” Nora saluted before searching cabinets.

“Nora,” Ren sighed. “I don’t think anyone is that small.”

“But what if I find a baby Beowolf? Oooh! Renny, can I keep it? I’ll even train it not to eat people!”

“Weiss,” Blake’s voice was serious. “If something happens, radio us. Please. We don’t want you getting hurt.” Weiss stared back at her for a moment and nodded, mumbling an ‘Alright’.

“Well, then… Good luck with that! Anywho, found the basement! Blakey and I are gonna’ go do our thing! Buh-bye!” With that, Yang disappeared down through a door in the kitchen, dragging Blake with her and leaving Weiss to deal with the craziness of the first two floors.

**ooOOoo**

“Blake…. Blakey… Blaaaaaaake!”

“What!” Blake hissed. The more she ignored the blonde, the louder she got. Didn’t she understand what it meant to be quiet and listen? She was a normal human! She should be more paranoid about the dark than she was acting. At least, Weiss understood that.

“Look, I know you’re mad at me about separating you from Weiss and all,” she began.

“No, Yang. I’m fine. I just want you to be quiet!”

“Well, it’s just that you can’t keep following Weiss like that.” The raven-haired woman stopped in her tracks and Yang gulped, knowing she had struck nerve. “You’re chasing someone who doesn’t have any room for you in their heart. You’re trying to keep her afloat and she’s just going to bring you down with her. If she’s drowning, she needs to do it without you.”

“Yang, what business of yours is it whether she brings me down with her or not? What if I already know that?” Blake turned around and jumped in Yang’s face. “Give me a reason I shouldn’t support her!”

“Because the only thing in her heart is a ghost,” Yang’s eyes turned angry at the challenging look Blake gave her. “Look, Rubes was my _baby_ sister! If anyone here has anything to be sad about, it’s me! She was my family, but I’ve learned to cope. I’m not saying she needs to forget, nor am I saying that Weiss should be removed from the team. I just don’t think she’s fit to lead. It should be y-”

“Shh.”

“No, Blake. This needs to be said and dammit, I’m gonn spea-,“ Yang was cut off by a finger to her lips. Oh, hell no! She _did_ _not_ just do that! The blonde opened her mouth to say something, but Blake motioned behind her.

“What’s that?” Yang turned around to get a better look. A small red light blinked in the darkness. Aiming the torchlight on her rifle, they got close enough to inspect it. While the room was devoid of any life or anything aside from a few rusted cans and sleeping bags, there was a giant machine sitting in the middle of the room. While they couldn’t make out its function, its general appearance was that of a generator. Then again, generators normally had things plugged into them and provided power. This had nothing of the sort. There was no brand, but there was an emblem painted in gold onto its side, just like Vale’s.

“We should probably report this to Weiss.”

**ooOOoo**

“Soooo, I’ll take this room and you take that one?” Jaune left it an open question.

“Sure, just be careful. Wouldn’t want Yang to have something else to harp about,” Weiss said with annoyance. Jaune rolled his eyes and slammed the door open for the room he had chosen. Waiting an extra moment to see if he needed assistance, Weiss decided to do the same, choosing the room directly across from him. At least, this way, it would be quicker and they’d be right across from each other if the other needed help.

She barreled into the room, finding it mostly empty, aside from a stained, naked mattress on a rusted metal frame. On the wall, she could make out tally marks carved into the wallpaper and the words ‘Days Alive’ scrawled across it. Across the room, a putrid smell emitted from a door painted with a red ‘X’ that dribbled down its length. In ancient times, it had been a common practice to mark homes inhabited by persons who had contracted the plague with similar symbols. Recalling this, Weiss called to Jaune for assistance. The blonde had come immediately, showing concern for her.

“Everything alright, Weiss?”

“Yeah, I just want to check this closet. Would you mind opening the door? I’ll take point.” She motioned her rifle at the door and he nodded. Pressing his back to the wall on the hinge-side of the door, he leaned across to grab the handle. Looking back to verify she was ready, she nodded and trained her rifle on the doorway. Tension rising, Jaune twisted the knob and pulled it toward himself, letting it slam against the wall and readying his rifle.

Instead of a shambling mess of cold fingers jabbing at him, they were assaulted by a smell that caused his stomach to lurch and he vomited. Inspecting the closet, Weiss found the soupy remains of a decaying mass. Whoever it had been had been in here long enough that it was no longer a threat. Covering her nose, Weiss nudged its head with the barrel of her rifle. The soft tissue gave no resistance and the metal pressed straight through. This definitely wasn’t the work of that Beowolf, let alone anyone recently.

“Jaune?...” Jaune gasped to himself for a moment, raising his hand to ask for a moment.

“I’m fine, Weiss,” his voice was strained. “It was just a little overwhelming. I’m good to go.” He stood up and flashed her a smile.

“You might want to wipe yourself,” she grinned. “Y’know, before we run into Yang again.” He went pale and looked at himself.

“Ah, dammit! She’ll never let me live this down!”

“Here,” she grabbed a random article of clothing that had been left in the closet.

“Thanks,” he took it, wiping his mouth on his sleeve, careful to avoid using it on his face. He then used the garment to wipe the remains from his body armor. God, he had to get rid of the evidence before that smartass blonde downstairs could have at him. First, it would be her, then Nora would join in and his life would be over! “It’s been pretty clear up here, though. I mean, two more rooms, but the upstairs is awfully clean and we haven’t seen a single survivor… Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

“Not if whoever was here killed everyone.” The unsettling in her stomach grew. “I’ve been wondering about that. Something’s off.” _Ksssh._

_“Fire Dragon to Ice Queen! Come in, Ice Queen! Over!”_

“God dammit, Yang!” Weiss pressed the switch of her earpiece. “Can you talk like a normal person?”

 _“Sorry, Ice Queen! Couldn’t make that out. Can you repeat that?”_ Weiss could practically feel the grin through the blonde’s words. _“Over!”_

“It really isn’t necessary for you to say ‘Over’. Just tell me what you need to.” Nothing but silence. “…Over!”

 _“I hear you loud and clear, Ice Queen, but no can do!”_ Weiss internally screamed at the infernal woman. _“Ninja Kitty and I are heading back up. Found some weird ass device down here. No people. Still might wanna’ report it though…”_

_“Yang, maybe you could try being nice to Weiss…”_

_“No can do, Ninja Kitty! Stay frosty, Ice Queen! Team Bumblebee out! …Over!”_ And with that, the channel closed.

“Uh, Weiss, I’m gonna’ go… check this room over here… yeah!” Taking note of her seething expression, he inched out of the room. It was probably for the best. Fuming to herself, she watched Jaune walk into the next room. He’d taken the room with the missing roof and didn’t seem to run into anything immediately, so she made her way to the last room at the other end of the hall.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself before proceeding. She cracked the door and was met with a surprise. A figure cloaked in a bright red cowl stood just past the bed. She caught a few sobs coming from the room and briefly recalled the sounds of the Weeping that had attacked her leader years ago. Cracking the door just a bit more, she found a terrified woman huddled into a corner in front of the figure. Whoever this was, they had her terrified. They had to be the one responsible for the grueling condition of the first floor. They lifted an arm, revealing a knife and she knew had to stop this. Who the hell went through the Wasteland with a knife?!

“Freeze!” She kicked in the door and aimed the rifle at the person. Obeying her command, the wastelander slowly brought their arm down. “Turn around! Arms up! Reveal yourself!” Ignoring most of her request, the figure remained still for a moment, facing the woman who huddled into herself further. “Wastelander, that’s an order!” The wastelander’s shoulder bounced lightly as if they were coughing or laughing. Weiss couldn’t tell, but they obviously didn’t take her seriously. The wastelander slowly turned to her, pulling up a cloth to cover their mouth, with the hood darkening the rest of their features and… What the hell?! “Don’t move!” Fear ran through her body as it completed its turn in an act of defiance, training its piercing eyes on her.

An Alpha Beowolf… That’s what its eyes reminded her of. This was no wastelander. This was undoubtedly one of the Affected, but this was unseen. It wasn’t a surprise that the Mutated came in a large variety, but to this date, the only known humanoids were the freshly infected Tweakers that still had motor control, the Shamblers they turned into as they withered away, and the Weeping. Outside of that, no one had run into something intelligent enough to mimic human mannerisms. This was the first sighting of an Affected that heeded warning and it screamed danger. It stepped forward and Weiss fired the first bullet of the day.

“Weiss, is everything alright?!” Jaune came barreling down the hall and saw the figure Weiss had her sights trained on. The figure had bent over, clutching its side. It looked back at Weiss, revealing… the absence of glowing eyes??? What the hell was going on? There was no way her eyes tricked her.

In the distance, a strange rumbling began and the strange wastelander turned their attention toward the window across from her. They jolted in shock as if they were surprised, and without hesitation, dove through the window closest to them. Running after them, Weiss leaned out the window and found no traces of them. Just what the hell was going on?

“Uhhhh, Weiss, we need to get a move on and get out of here, _now_ **!** ” From the window on the other side of the room, Jaune watched a black mass grow in the distance.

“Shit!” Weiss flashed a look at the woman she had saved and pulled her up. “You’re safe now. We’ll get you to a safe place!” Jaune bolted out of the room and ran down the stairs, with Weiss close behind.

“Weiss, did you see-“

“We need to get out of here!” She cut Blake off. “Get a move on it!”

“What about the basem-“

“We don’t have time for that, Yang. Living is our priority. Go!” The team bolted out of the house; Jaune jumping into the driver’s seat and the rest piled into the back, with Yang remaining by the door. Without waiting for the hatch to be pulled closed, Jaune took off in time to avoid the first of the Beowolves.

Clambering over each other, the mass remained in hot pursuit of the vehicle. Knowing they would be safer, Yang made a break for the cargo door. She grabbed onto a rail and reached for the latch, but one brave Beowolf hoisted itself over the shoulders of another and landed on the ramp.

With a loud roar, it swiped at her and she quickly retracted her hand. This was definitely a one-on-one she didn’t want to get into. She fell back and her team came to her rescue with suppressing fire. The bullets sank deeply into it, sending it tumbling into the stampede and offered a slight increase in distance.

Unfortunately, Beowolves had a pack mentality and adapted quickly. Learning from their fallen brother, a few others made use of its tactics and leapt at the vehicle from the backs of their kin. While many missed their mark and were trampled by the rest, some were successful in landing atop the vehicle. A claw reached from the roof and a wolf peered down from above. It reached out and swiped at the busty blonde, nicking the armor that guarded her chest and cutting the strap of her rifle. Nora grabbed Yang by her arm and pulled her out of reach. Dissatisfied with the loss of its prey, the Beowolf wrapped its claws around a railing and hoisted itself onto the ramp, pulling itself into the vehicle and crushing Yang’s abandoned rifle with its weight.

Why?! Why did they design the damn door to double as a ramp?! Why couldn’t this be modeled after suicide doors?! They just _had_ to have a ramp! This was probably some design flaw that some lazy asshole created to save a few bucks. Yeah! Let’s just make it have double functionality and maybe GET OUR RESCUE SQUADS KILLED!!! Real intelligent! Yang silently fumed to herself. She lost her god damn gun!

Digging its claws into the metal of the floor and grounding itself, the Beowolf roared once more. It swiped at the humans in front of it and they hit the ground, in an effort to dodge. It roared once more and prepared to digs its claw into a target. It didn’t matter which one, as long as it got one, but the car swerved as Jaune tried to shake a wolf from the windshield. Knocked off balance, the wolf fell backwards, holding on only by the claw implanted into the floor.

At that moment, an arrow with a red light pierced through its head. With a repetitive beep that quickened like a countdown device, it fell limply into the stampede, thinning the herd with an explosion. A bulky red motorcycle, driven by a person with a red cape that billowed violently as the wind resisted it, drifted into view behind them. The rider shouldered their compact bow and took aim at what looked to be something inside the vehicle.

“Ah, shit!” Jaune called back. “Weiss, it’s the wasteland- Weiss!”

“Uraaaaaaaah!” The woman they had rescued began to flail around, righting herself in a contorted position. She locked onto Weiss and lunged at her, meeting a fatal blow from a non-explosive arrow instead. The woman collapsed over Weiss, who shoved her off and scrambled away.

“You didn’t check her?!”

“I dunno’ if you were paying attention, Yang,” Weiss spat. “But we kind of had other things going on!”

“Whoa, that doesn’t look good,” Yang had already written her off and was more concerned with the wastelander. The way they were swerving wasn’t purposeful. It actually seemed like they were trying keep themself conscious.

“I mean, Weiss did shoot them…” Weiss had Jaune to thank for throwing her to the wolves… metaphorically speaking. With another hard swerve, the wastelander fell from their bike.

“You did what?!” Yang looked at her in anger. There was no reason to shoot survivors! “Jaune, we need to help that wastelander! If we’re quick enough we’ll be fine! Whoa!” Yang braced herself as Jaune swerved the truck around. A few of the wolves had surrounded the fallen wastelander and Jaune opted to swerve into the beasts, knocking a number of them away. “Cover me!” Grabbing them by their rider, Yang pulled the wastelander into the truck. “Go!”

There was so much blood everywhere. It was amazing to think they were still alive. To think of the sheer amount of will power it had taken to drive into a horde of mutated anything. From the looks of it, Yang would say this wastelander was very adamant about finishing what they had started and the squad should have been thankful for it, considering what had just happened. It was very plausible that those people were all Affected recently and hadn’t shown evidence of the mutation.

“I’ve got this, Yang,” Ren said calmly. He had more experience than the rest of them when it came to things like this. “Wastelander, stay with me. What’s your name?” The wastelander gave a pained moan and their eyes fluttered open, fighting with the darkness that was undoubtedly trying to take hold of them. “Wastelander, talk to me.”

Strangely, the wastelander’s eyes were what struck him. For a moment, they briefly centered on Yang before they fluttered off again. That was when Yang’s trembling hand hovered over their hood. She hesitated, staring at the strange person for a moment. With a gulp, she summoned her courage and pulled the hood and face mask back.

“Ruby…” Weiss and Yang’s eyes were wide with disbelief, staring at the barely conscious spitting image of their late-captain. Breaking their trance, the girl coughed loudly and spattered blood everywhere.

“What the fuck did you do?!” Fire heated the back of Yang’s throat. Had Weiss hadn’t even hesitated to shoot her?

“I-I… How is she- I didn’t mean to!” Weiss mind struggled to comprehend what was happening. Ruby died in front of her. She was mere feet away when the command had been given to blow a hole straight through Ruby’s chest. She was the only one of their squad to witness it firsthand, yet here they were, looking at her carbon copy.

“Weiss!!!” Yang was beyond livid. This was her baby sister. It definitely was and Weiss supposedly loved her. “How the fuck could you shoot her?!”

“I didn’t know it was her!” Weiss screamed back. “How can it be her?!” The ivory and blonde duo glared at each other as the vehicle jerked around on the terrain. The Ruby look-alike tried to sit herself up but collapsed hard, unable to reorient herself, and Yang tried to cushion her on the way down. She had lost way too much blood.

 “BE QUIET!” Ren yelled. “I can’t concentrate and it isn’t helping this girl! Instead of arguing, you two could be helping!”

“What do you need?” Yang attempted to calm herself. If this was Ruby, it wouldn’t be her fault they lost her a second time.

“Keep your hands here and apply pressure,” Ren yelled over the sound of gunfire as Blake and Nora tried to fend off more of the wolves. The terrain became especially rocky and the two gunners tried to keep their footing as they rocked back and forth. A large bump jolted everyone into the air, slamming them into the benches that lined the interior and everything went black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys! So that introduces Squad 9 (WBYJNR) and how they found themselves in that predicament. I think I really do like how things are going this time around. Seems more fluid. I won’t say that Ruby will be “nice”, but she won’t be anywhere near as mean. She’ll be more of the “you shouldn’t get close to me” type. As I mentioned before, some chapters will seem familiar, just more fleshed out. I think it’s about halfway through chapter 3 where the storyline deviates from the original. It’ll happen pretty quick actually. Next chapter tells the story of Ruby’s death, introduces Pyrrha, and has Weiss/Yang/the Wastelander’s first real interactions.


	3. Wastelander

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, this chapter is roughly 6900 words! It starts off with the back story of Ruby and Weiss. I’ve made some updates to the last few chapters that I hope fixed any confusion with the timeline. I’m trying to whole “Setting/Time” scene change think to help out with that. Some additional info was also added to flesh some things out that were commented on between both AO3 and FF. Anyways, I hope you guys all had a Merry… ChristmaHannaKwanzakah!... I literally could have just said Happy Holidays… Meh. Anyway, my presents to all of you guys that follow me are yesterday’s and today’s chapter releases of Lightforge 26, LF: Requiem 3, and FG2!

 

_The Vale Stronghold, five years ago…_

“What is it, Weiss?” The rustling of pants shifted in front of her and she was drawn to the source of the sound. The voice belonged to a girl so distinctly profound – someone Weiss had admired more than any other. Weiss repositioned herself to face the girl relaxing on the metal flooring with her. She opened her crystal blue eyes and drank in the sight of the red-head black-faded tips. Fondly recalling how the object of her affection squirmed as she applied the cold dye and it smudged against her cheeks. It was something they always did together; something that was only theirs and theirs alone. “Hey.” Weiss found the silver orbs that were her friend’s peering back at hers and she shot upright.

“Huh?” The girl giggled at her flustered antics and Weiss flushed red with embarrassment. “Yes… Ruby?”

“You wanted me to come up here with you?” Ruby looked to the sky and stood, offering a hand to Weiss. A strong warmth resonated from those silver eyes that swallowed Weiss whole and she took the hand she was offered, allowing herself to be pulled up. The crimson girl walked to the railing that overlooked the entryway and peered over it. “I’ve known you my whole life, Weiss. You’re not that much older than me that you can remember life without me. We’ve seen each other through so much good and you’ve always been there to support me, but we only ever come up here when something is weighing on my mind. That’s what this place means to us…” She took in a deep breath and turned to face the alabaster girl. “But this is the first time _you’ve_ ever asked _me_ to come here… Whatever it is, I’ll listen.”

And like that, the tears welled up in Weiss’ eyes. Hiding things had never been her strong suit nor did she have to put up a front around her. More than anyone, Ruby knew the pain of losing the ones she held closest. People were always dying and Ruby had only the faintest memories of her own mother, but they were strong enough to know that a strong love had been built between them and the woman had left a strong imprint on her daughter – kindness.

At only 15, Ruby was considered a hero, rescuing many survivors from the wasteland and building a specialized team of others her age that outperformed all other rescue outfits. Smart, beautiful, good-natured, courageous, and strong; she was who everyone aspired to be and she knew it, but she never flaunted it. For someone so seemingly untouchable, she was so human and Weiss was glad to be one of the few chosen to aid her. Of course, Winter had been the first draft, with Weiss following closely after…

Winter… It was always Ruby and Winter everywhere. They were so synonymous with each other that it was assumed the two would wind up together one day and it had always gnawed at the ivory girl. Winter had known about the feelings that Weiss held for the crimsonette, but she didn’t care. She always had the first go at everything, no matter how badly Weiss had fought for it, but now it was Weiss’ turn to be first… It was just… she didn’t want it this way.

“How do I start?” Okay maybe that wasn’t what she wanted to come out, but Ruby smiled knowingly and put an arm around her, pulling her into her shoulder. As expected, Weiss clung to her, burying herself deeply in her shoulder as Ruby stroked her hair comfortingly. Between short gasps of air and tears, Weiss managed to calm down and was now laying in her lap.

“It’s not easy, Weiss, but it never ends until you stop moving forward,” Ruby grit her teeth together. “That’s what happened to Winter… Weiss, I…” Weiss peered up to find tears in those silver medallions that made her heroine one-of-a-kind. “I can’t lose you, too. I can’t let you live in the past. I need you by my side, here, moving forward. Please…”

Wiping her own tears away, Weiss sniffled as she sat up. Ruby had always worn her heart on her sleeve and she wasn’t afraid to show it. Worst of all, she felt the pain of others and it often sat heavily on her mind, but Weiss wasn’t willing to let Ruby be in pain. Even now, when Weiss was the one who needed comfort, she wouldn’t let Ruby shoulder both of their pain; after all, this was a shared pain. Ruby had also lost Winter.

“Look, you dolt, don’t you start crying too! Let me be a little selfish!” Weiss laughed through her tears and took Ruby’s hand. “We all thought it was only a matter of time until you two were together… but now… I know you’re in as much pain as I am…”

“What?” Confused eyes blinked at Weiss as if they had just heard something incredibly insane. “Me and Win… Is that what you think was happening?!” The red-head almost seemed offended by the very notion.

“I mean, yeah. Everyone does.” Ruby frowned and her face turned serious as her gaze pulled Weiss in.

“I’m sorry you thought that, Weiss…” Ruby gently shifted her hand to free it from Weiss’, brushing it against Weiss’ cheek and cradling it.  In a matter of seconds, her presence magnified and those metallic orbs began to swallow her again. “Of all people, I never wanted you to think that… Maybe I’ve never said it or maybe I just thought I didn’t have to, but you’re irreplaceable to me. I-”

“Xiao Long, we need you at the gate!” The speaker on Ruby’s shoulder blared with an urgent voice. Oooof course, they did.

“Well, I guess this’ll have to wait for later, huh?” She giggled at Weiss, who blushed back. “What’s going on, Major?”

“It’s god damn Winter! She’s lost her damn marbles!” Winter? Wait… she shouldn’t even be near the gate.

“I’ll be right there.” Ruby jumped up and ran through the halls with Weiss close behind her. When they arrived, they found several guards posted with rifles trained on a disheveled looking woman with long, tangled ivory tresses and emotionless blue eyes.

“Winter…” Weiss gasped at how far her sister had let herself go. “What’s going on?!”

“Winter managed to escape from the ward and she’s been trying to open the gate! Those loons at the whack job house need to find a way to up their security!” The captain complained. “Xiao Long, you’re good at talkin’ some sense into people! She’s not responding to us, but she operated under you. Care to take a crack at this? I’d rather not have to file paperwork for casualties today. Bad enough I’ll have to file an incident report.”

“Uh… sure,” Ruby gulped nervously. She’d never had to talk one of her people out of hysterics like this before. Mentally, Winter had suffered far too much emotional trauma with the deaths of her parents and she couldn’t handle it. That’s how she had wound up in the psych ward. Ruby had personally seen to it that she would get the best treatment they had to offer, but she shouldn’t have been able to get out on her own…

“Ay boys! Let Xiao Long through! We’re turnin’ it over to her!” In an effort to lift her spirits, Ruby smiled at Weiss and tapped her chin.

“I’ll be done soon! Easy peasy!”

“Ruby, what if it turns dangerous?” Weiss said with worry.

“Eh, semantics!” Ruby waved her off.

“You’re using that word wrong...” Weiss deadpanned at her.

“Well, when I’m finished, you can tell me all about the proper way to use that word and then we’ll finish our talk from earlier, ‘kay Princess?” Brushing her hand under Weiss’ chin affectionately, Ruby winked at her and Weiss looked away, blushing at the reminder.

“Uh, s-sure! Of course!” The red-head tipped off an imaginary hat to her and made her way through the entrance to the hangar that separated the fortress from the wastelands.

“Winter, stop!”

“I can hear them, Ruby! We have to let them in! Can’t you hear them? They’re not safe!” Winter called out in a paranoid state. Frantically, she paced back and forth, clawing at her scalp and pulling at her ears.

“Winter, you’re parents are dead!” Ruby flashed a nervous look at the snipers. “Winter, walk away from the gate! They _will_ shoot!”

“None of you are trying to save them! Why!” Winter hit the keypad and the automated locking mechanism moaned to life.  The large valves creaked as the bolts were withdrawn from their respective strike plates and a loud hiss sounded before the giant gate began to part ways. A loud siren sounded and red and white lights began to spin around the room as an automated voice rang throughout the facility.

_“Unauthorized Access of the East Dragon Gate. Commencing with precautionary measures. Please proceed to the nearest evacuation point. Countdown three minutes. Unauthorized Access of the East Dragon Gate. Commencing with precautionary measures. Please proceed to the nearest evacuation point. Countdown three minutes.”_

“Shit!” A red laser dragged over Winter’s chest and Ruby bolted toward her, yanking her out of the sniper’s line of fire. Ruby had failed to keep Winter from doing this, but she could still regain control of the situation. “I can still handle this!”

“No! It’s them! Can’t you see them?!” What the hell?! The shambling remains of Jacques and Willow Schnee waltzed through the gate, moaning along to an accompaniment of other reanimated cadavers. Winter had been right, but how could she have known they were there?

“Ruby! Someone get down there and help Xiao Long!” Weiss cried out as she struggled to charge through the guards holding her at bay. Knowing this couldn’t be easy for her to watch, Ruby smiled sadly at Weiss. There was no need for her to feel she should take charge. This wasn’t her fault. “She’s not armed!”

A group of wolf-like creatures blackened by decaying tissue and matted fur, barreled through the shuffling corpses toward the two girls. Pulling Winter with her, Ruby scrambled to her feet and pulled the older Schnee sibling along with her. There was no way Weiss was losing her sister today. Mentally, she may have deteriorated, but therapy could bring the woman back. It would just take time and time healed all… except for death and the Frequency G mutation.

Beowolves slinked around them in hot pursuit, two to either side. With Winter struggling for the freedom to join her family, Ruby’s hands were full. She needed to push through, but she would soon lose her opportunity at the rate they were closing in. If the snipers could pick them off, she could safely bring Winter into their custody, arm herself, and seal the gate. She looked to the tower in an attempt to convey her request and it appeared one of them picked up on it.

A bullet slammed into the snout of one of the decomposing wolves, knocking its face away enough to allow time for Ruby to make a break for it. Instead of paying attention to the fleeing girl, the creature gnashed at the air and its packmate reared itself. It inhaled deeply and thrust its chest forward, letting out a piercing shriek. A distant roar bellowed from the wastelands, causing everyone’s hearts to sink in unison – a horrible sign for a situation that was growing worse by the second. Ruby slowed to a stop and focused her sights into the distance.

The ground rumbled with an unsynchronized rhythm that grew louder and louder until hundreds of shapes grew in the distance. Shit! This was not good! Ruby yanked Winter back toward herself and looked back at Weiss then back to the wasteland.

Knowing the weight of the decision she would make, the hero gulped as her heart plummeted even further. It was at that moment that it dawned on her just how reckless she always was; just how much she put others before herself; just how unexpectedly her incredible luck wore out. For the first time, her hands shook with uncertainty as she felt real fear as she resigned herself to her fate – the fate of all heroes. The fate of her late mother.

 Ruby flashed a bittersweet smile toward Weiss and the pale girl froze; her heart shattering before Ruby as understanding set in. Part of her was glad that she hadn’t been able to properly tell Weiss what she needed to. It would have trapped the ivory-themed girl and eaten away at her for years to come… but it pained her to know that she would be latest blow to Weiss’ growing list of tragic losses.

In one swift move, Ruby heaved Winter at the guards and sped away from safety that had been just out of reach. All around her, bullets flew through the air as snipers tried to cover her. Each bullet held the hope that they would bring back the hero that sacrificed so much for her people. Distracted by her presence, creatures that vaguely resembled something human fell one-by-one as she drew closer and closer to the little screen that would re-seal the gate… but that was when it all went wrong…

At first, she wasn’t sure what happened. She remembered reaching out as she leapt at the screen and then her whole world jarred and sent her rolling across the ground. Digging her gloved fingers and boots into the metal floor, the textured grips offered her enough resistance to bring herself to a stop. That was when a large claw slammed down next to her face. Her heart raced as its wicked, sharp teeth dripped saliva onto the metal plated flooring. It smacked at her, scooping her up and grinding her into the wall, knocking her breath out of her.

Ruby coughed as her lungs struggled to replenish themselves with much needed oxygen, but being robbed of the room they needed to expand, they could offer her nothing more than the expulsion of blood. A victim to the lengthy appendages of an Alpha Beowolf, she could only wait as the world grew dim and the undead pooled beneath its sinewy arms, reaching for her with cold fingers. Lungs still screaming for air, she felt the vessels in her left eye burst and a red film glazed over half her vision. With a final effort, she took one last look at the entrance, barely making out the horde of creatures pouring in… She had been so close and all of her life culminated into this one moment… Failure.

As her consciousness slipped, she heard a voice. It was small at first, but it grew louder and louder… Weiss?... Well, maybe death wasn’t so bad – not if her final moments were filled something that reminded her of a song… Why… Why today?... Why did she have to try to tell her today? She’d failed her people, but most of all, she’d failed Weiss. Anger swelled inside as she thought about it.

 Scratch everything. Weiss’ voice didn’t offer her any comfort. It was torture; something that mocked her and reminded her of her failure. It wasn’t fair! She had so many regrets! Always being perfect for society, always pretending to care about people she didn’t, always living up to expectation, always being the role model. Frankly, she didn’t give a fuck about any of that! She just wanted Weiss to always be looking at her. Those blue eyes were hers – no one else’s! Dammit, she wanted to live, even if it meant being selfish!

Suddenly, the claw that had been suspending her disappeared and she collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. The darkness subsided, crumbling away as color ate through. Her ears rang and several thuds landed around her. Bodies. She lifted her head and found blue eyes looking over her frantically, rife with a mixture of fear and purpose. With a ragged breath, Ruby smiled, but she couldn’t afford to wait any longer. The gate needed to be closed in order to seal off the incoming horde.

She nodded to Weiss and Weiss acknowledged her, before turning around to aid with holding the mutated back. Ruby huffed a labored laugh to herself. That was why she needed Weiss. No matter what darkness Ruby harbored, Weiss was there to draw her back to the light. She was the only one ever allowed to see that side of her and the only one willing to accept it… How could she have thought that Ruby and Winter were… Never mind that.

Ruby lifted herself up and bore her weight against the wall she had previously been mounted on. A sharp pain spanned across her chest and she coughed, only adding to the pain. Yep, something was definitely broken. She decided to control her breathing, only taking small breaths as she shuffled on her path to the locking mechanism. Focused so intently on her objective; she reached her destination, slapping her hand against it in a hurry. With a jar, the gate came to life and began to close on either side. Relieved, Ruby leaned heavily against the wall and looked back at the soldiers who had been supporting her. That’s right. These people needed someone to lead them; to give them hope. That was why she did this. Sometimes, she just needed to remind herself that it was all worth it.

Ever the sore thumb in a crowd, Ruby found the familiar ivory tresses the Schnee family had been famed for. She watched every move the Schnee girl made and memorized them. With everything now cleared, Weiss examined the bodies around her to ensure they were indeed dead. Having confirmed they were finally at rest, Weiss was immediately drawn to Ruby’s eyes. Ruby acknowledged her with a smile and tried to stand up straight. Instead, she hunched forward and grabbed her shoulder in an effort to support herself better. She grinned and winked at Weiss, who rolled her eyes and returned the grin. With a grunt, Ruby took a step forward and began to make her way over to her second-in-command. She definitely deserved a reward for getting Ruby through this.

“uuuooo….hiff hiff… uuuuuhuuuu…” The color in Weiss’ face had drained and Ruby froze. It was too distinct. A sound she had only ever heard a handful of times because they were so rare and so impossibly deadly. The creature had been coined by the name of Weeping due to their sobbing. For the most part, avoiding their space kept them from attacking, with its cries being a warning that the safety zone had been breached. From there, it was bad news… And it was close… so, so close…

First, it was the hairs standing on her neck, followed by the uncontrollable trembling that ravaged her body, followed by the chill that enveloped her as the presence loomed over her. Lastly, it was the blade-like talons that pierced through her torso from behind and lifted her, spilling her blood.

“Ruby!” Weiss collapsed. There was nothing anyone could do this time. It was far too late. If it didn’t kill her, she would bleed out before anything could be done. How was it even here?! Weeping avoided light sources and open areas! They stuck to caves and the abandoned buildings of destroyed civilization!

“Take the shot…” The voice was gruff and familiar.

“You can’t mean that, Qrow!” Another familiar voice pleaded with him. “There must be another way!”

 “Take the shot.” There was no hesitation in Qrow’s voice. “Every soldier knows that this is a possible outcome! In the next life, Ruby will thank you for not letting her suffer!”

“Sir, I have them in my sights… I just need the order…” A voice came over the radio General Xiao Long held. The sniper’s crosshairs were trained on the center of Ruby’s chest. He grimaced to himself as he thought about how he had to be the one to take Ruby Xiao Long’s life. Neptune didn’t want to be known as ‘The Guy That Killed Vale’s Hero’. That was definitely a deal breaker with chicks.

“Neptune, don’t!” Weiss pleaded. A moan of pain came from Ruby’s direction as the Weeping brought its claw down. Ruby trembled in fear as its shriveled face lined up next to her own. Something didn’t sit right with her. Why was this here? This wasn’t normal behavior for this thing. A low growl gurgled from deep inside the creature and it wept once more. With blinding speed, the creature suddenly buried its fangs deeply into the flesh of Ruby’s shoulders. The crimson girl screamed in pain as it ripped through her flesh with a loud roar and all that pervaded was the ring of a single unordered shot.

“Sorry, Weiss…” Neptune’s voice was the last thing she heard as the world drowned out around her. The world slowed as a thick stream of blood burst from the center of Ruby’s chest and trailed behind her, cutting clean through the creature. With a loud thud, her body fell limp and lifeless to the ground. Several soldiers barreled past Weiss, firing away at the creature until only the faintest traces of its existence were left… but all that Weiss could focus on was the growing pool of blood that formed beneath her leader’s still form.

**ooOOoo – Present Day…**

She could feel her hair standing and the goose bumps rising… Why was it so cold? Wait! They were still out in the Wasteland! She needed to get up or they’d all be dead! Her fight or flight instincts kicked in and Weiss was up. She needed to get a handle on the situation and get everyone out!

“CALM. DOWN, Miss Schnee!” She was forced back into the gr… pillows? Breathing at a panicked pace, she started to take in her surroundings, as well as the man in white holding her gently against the pillow behind her. A woman to her side had started to reach for a syringe and was waiting for the order. “That won’t be necessary. Look, her heart rate is calming…” The man looked between the nurse and Weiss. “Welcome back, Miss Schnee! We were beginning to think you were trying to catch up on your beauty sleep!”

“Wh-a?”

“Mrs. Dash, would please fetch Miss Schnee some water?” The man said excitedly. “I believe her to be quite parched!”

“Right away, Dr. Oobleck!”The plump middle aged nurse hurried to a sink on the other side of the room and returned within moments with a small cup that Weiss downed very quickly.

“Your team escaped with very minimal injuries! I’m quite surprised, actually, given the report filed by Miss Nikos!”

“Nikos?” Weiss winced in pain as she tried to remember. “…Nikos wasn’t there, though…”

“Rightly so! Mrs. Dash,” he passed Weiss’ cup to the nurse. “800 mg Ibuprofen and another water! Thank you!” The nurse sped away on her mission and Dr. Oobleck gave Weiss his full attention. “Yes, it is actually Agent Rose’s report to give, but,” he slid the rest of her hospital curtain open. “As you can see, she is in no condition to do so.” As the curtain slid open, it revealed a hospital bed occupied by an unconscious girl in horrendous condition.

While they had taken care to clean her of the dirt and blood that had previously covered her, she was pale as a corpse, covered in cuts, bruises, and bandages. She could make out traces of some sort of old, faded scars trailing from some of the bandage that covered her right arm, but most of it was covered. Encased in plaster, her left arm sat over her stomach and her left leg rested on a small platform that elevated it above her heart.

Now that they weren’t panicking for their lives, Weiss was able to get a clearer look at her. Dark black hair that ended in crimson red tips framed the tan face that had lost its color. Whoever this girl was, she obviously spent a great deal of time outside. She was definitely one of the scavenger types of survivors; someone who had somehow evaded detection by humans and Grimm alike for all these years and successfully lived off of what little there was to be found. Typically, they were called Wastelanders and her build would certainly allow for her to live such a life.

Well-toned and petite, her physique was perfect for fitting through small spaces. She could maneuver herself in tight spots easily and was probably very agile… Just like her late-captain. Weiss shook her head. It was impossible! Beside her, someone rolled their shoulders, stretching themselves out… It was Yang… sitting beside the bed to the right, watching her intently… Shit… She bit her tongue and remained silent.

“Miss Nikos treated her, but she hasn’t woken up since. What few details Miss Rose was able to give her, Miss Nikos reported, but her injuries caused her to pass out before she could finish. Miss Xiao Long,” he called, causing the blonde to wearily turn her head toward them. The formerly radiant blonde was now a disheveled mess of dark rings surrounding her lilac eyes and unkempt hair. It was no question to see that she hadn’t slept in days and probably hadn’t bathed... Just how long had Weiss been out??? “I have no doubt that both of you have many questions, but I would speak to General Branwen if you would like answers. Miss Schnee, since I can’t clear you to go just yet, he will be stopping by later to check on you and Agent Rose. Might I suggest talking to him at that time? Well, I have rounds to make! I will be seeing you later!” He nodded to the both of them and hastily left the room, leaving an uncomfortable silence between the two conscious women.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Weiss tried to calm herself with a hug, but it only made her feel more uneasy. In an attempt to distract herself from the constant beep of the heart monitor connected to “Agent Rose”, she drummed her toes along the ground, letting the thud resound through her body. It was a meaningless task, but she had become so focused on the act that she thought little of the world around her. Every tap was a clothless touch against an icy tiled floor. Why hadn’t she noticed it earlier? Maybe she had been more distracted by the girl across from her and the lifeless looking blonde… Yang… she must be so ang-

“Fucking stop!” Weiss jumped at the sudden outburst. “It’s getting on my nerves!”

“Oh…” It hadn’t occurred to her that Yang would hear it too. She glanced back at the woman hooked up to the machines and cringed to herself. She really was banged up. How the hell was she still hanging on? Some of these injuries looked different from when they had been fleeing from the Grimm. Maybe when the truck flipped she had sustained more injuries, but then… how did they get back here? Had Qrow sent in a rescue team for them?... But they hadn’t had a chance to radio for help. “Which team rescued us?” Secretly, she prayed to herself that it wasn’t Team 7 – anyone but Cardin and his band of thugs!

 “It wasn’t a team…” Yang murmured without facing her.

“Excuse me?” Weiss asked in disbelief. There was no way they just crashed and rolled all the way back home and it was even more unlikely that the Grimm just happened to be friendly enough to drag them back either.

“Ru-,” Yang shook a bit and hissed at herself for her mistake. “Agent Rose,” she corrected herself. “Appears to have brought us back.”

“What?!” Weiss shrieked. “She was in no condition to even move before the crash!”

“I know!” Yang shouted in exasperation. “That’s part of what makes this all so frustrating! She was on the verge of death and somehow saved all of us! That’s the story that I’m getting.”

“From who?”

“… Half the gate personnel,” Yang mumbled. “When I talked to Coco and Velvet, they said that they were working the North gate and were too shaken to deny entry and run the gate check once they saw her. A radio transmission came in requesting emergency medical support on standby for Squad 9. When she got here, the truck was barely running, but she brought us all back in one piece. They said she opened the door and fell out, bleeding everywhere. Velvet said she had never seen so much blood coming from a person…” Yang hesitated for a second. “I’m surprised she even had any blood left to lose, let alone remain conscious.”

“I’m happy to be alive, but that was a stupid thing for her to do!”

“It was a really _Ruby_ thing for her to do…” The blonde trailed off with a hint of danger in her voice.

“Yang-“

“Save it!” Yang hissed. “I don’t wanna’ hear it, right now.” Weiss threw her arms down and gritted her teeth.

“How was I supposed to know?!” She cried back. “She didn’t say anything! I couldn’t even tell if she was one of them or not, let alone think that it could have been Ruby! She-“

“Watch it, Weiss.”

“Died 5 years ago, Yang!” Yang jumped out of her seat and towered over Weiss in a display of intimidation. “That’s not going to work on me, Yang. You know this and you need to hear it, otherwise you’re just going to keep watching over a look-alike. That’s what you’ve been doing the whole time I’ve been out, right?” Yang broke eye contact and turned her head away from the alabaster-haired woman. It was so hard to win an argument under Weiss’ piercing blue eyes. “How do you think I feel? I,” Weiss dug her fingers into her hair. “I shot this girl!”

“And I’m lucky you’re a terrible shot!” The two froze mid-argument staring at each other with confused looks. That wasn’t either of their voices. “Finally! Some silence! You two could wake the dead with all that arguing!”

Hesitantly, they turned their heads to look at the hospital bed the semi-crimsonette had taken residence in. Silver eyes bearing down on them from her partially upright position, she coughed and gagged as she tore the breathing tubes from her nose. Wiping the water from her metallic eyes, she motioned toward Weiss…

“You sh-ot me.” The wastelander’s voice broke from the phlegm in her throat before she switched to Yang. “And you’re pissed. I get it! Congrats! Chill out!” She attempted to sit up but gave up as soon as she put pressure on her arm and abs and coughed again. “Oh, my ribs!... Uuuuo, my _everything_ hurts!” Something didn’t feel right and she glanced at her abdomen, finding small red spots over where the bandage that covered the wound Weiss’ bullet had left behind… She must be bleeding through the bandage.

“Swell…” She rolled her eyes sarcastically, looking around the bed for something. Her eyes landed on an item to her left and she reached for it, frowning when she discovered it was just beyond her reach. She attempted to lean to her side but wound up staring at the bulky caste that encased her arm. Displeased with her situation, she stared at it for a moment and sighed in aggravation. “Would one of you be a super awesome sauce and hit the CALL button for me?” She brandished her arm with a passive-aggressive smile. “Might be a bit difficult for meeee~,” she said in a sing-song. Since Yang was the closest, she reached for the remote and pressed it. “Thanks, blondie!” How the hell was the wastelander taking this so well???

“My name is Yang.”

“So it is.” Rose hummed to herself. “Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee,” she grunted as she tried to reposition herself. “Squad 9. I’m actually surprised the kitty cat isn’t here. She’s light, but I know for a fact I put her on that damn truck.” She laughed to herself a bit. “I dunno’ anyone else with _that_ much black hair!”

“Er,” Yang fidgeted uneasily and tried to compose herself in front of her sister’s carbon copy. “She was in here earlier to check on us.”

“You don’t seem too enthusiastic about that, Xiao Long,” Rose was asking more that saying.

“It’s nothing.” This girl wasn’t Ruby. She was a stranger and there was no use in telling a stranger that she was jealous that Blake was only there to check on Weiss.

“Oh,” Rose covering her mouth and giggled in an all-knowing manner. “I see!”

“What?” Yang became perplexed. “What do you see?!”

“Apparently, _nothing_ ,” Rose dropped her arm and spoke whimsically… The fiery blonde could already tell she wasn’t going to like this girl. Weiss was right; her appearance was where the similarities with Ruby ended. Ruby died years ago and Weiss had been right beside her. There was nothing that anyone could have done to help her baby sister. “Ah!” Rose looked at the door excitedly. “Finally!”

“R053, I trust you’re not harassing Squad 9’s members yet!” A pale young woman with emerald eyes and long red hair pulled back into a luscious pony tail smirked at her from the door, arms crossed. Oh, it was just Pyrrha.

“N1K05, it’s good to see you, doc!” The wastelander lifted her gown up and waved it around with her unrestricted arm. “I have a thing that’s wrong!”

“Have some modesty!” The doctor rushed over to her and pulled her gown down.

“But I have a _thing_!” Rose whined. “And it’s wrooooong!”

“Yes, but modesty is _also_ a thing, R0!” Pyrrha scolded her. “I’m sure they could do without seeing your lady bits! Jeez!”

“Oh, I thought it was a bit drafty in here,” Rose considered her words for a second. “… But I’m also _high as_ _balls_ on whatever you people are giving me. Holy shit, I feel good _everywhere_!” She poked at the bandage on her stomach. “I can’t even _feel_ this!” She laughed. “Are ya feelin’ me, N1?”

“Stop touching yourself!...” Oh no… Pyrrha’s face deadpanned. As soon as she finished her words, she regretted them.

“Then will you do it for me?” Rose grinned mischievously. Pyrrha stared at her for a moment, as Rose laughed to herself, clearly proud of the suggestive nature of her joke.  Cocking her head to the side, Pyrrha smiled dangerously.

“It would be my pleasure!” She pressed onto a very large and purple bruise on Rose’s unaffected leg.

“Ow!” Rose shrieked, ending her laughter. “Stop!”

“But I thought you wanted me to touch you!” She pressed onto another bruise. “I thought you felt good _everywhere_!”

“Stopstopstopstop-stop! It doesn’t feel good anymore!” Rose cried out. “Ow!” Pyrrha pressed one last time to emphasize her point, smirking as if to dare her to make another comment. Rose bit her tongue and waited.

“Oh, I see we’re done!” Pyrrha chuckled to herself and examined the current state of the visible portions of Rose’s body. “Well, you’ve been out for four days. I’m actually surprised you woke up so soon,” Pyrrha cupped her chin. “I admit a part of me thought you’d be out for a few more… Then again, this _is_ you we’re talking about. You’ve probably been out cold longer than you wanted. You’re healing nicely everywhere else. You can probably get out of these castes too. I’d still recommend some compression bandages for a few more days though.” Pyrrha looked at Weiss and Yang. “Would you two please look the other way? I need to look at Agent Rose’s stitches.”

Their eyes widened and they quickly spun around, listening to the playful banter between the two. A ruffle of the blankets was heard, as well as a sound similar to tape being removed, followed by a loud disappointed sigh. The two squad members exchanged a look with another, silently wondering how the doctor and wastelander were so well-acquainted… and why the strange names they called each other earlier?

“Just as I thought. You’re moving around too much. You haven’t opened your stitches, but you’ve stressed the wound a bit and part of it has opened back up. I keep telling you that you need to take it easy, but you never listen to me, R0…”

“Gee, it’s like you always expect to see me half-dead or something.”

“Again, this is _you_ we’re talking about.” They could hear the roll in Pyrrha’s eyes. “When are you _not_ half-dead?”

“Touché.” They traded playful blows with each other for a bit longer until Pyrrha told the two members of Squad 9 they were welcome to rejoin them. “You two can turn back around now. I’ve redressed Rose’s wounds, so she should be fine for the time being.” The doctor motioned toward the blood-stained wrappings discarded in the bin beside Rose’s bed.

“Thanks, N1.” Rose yawned as she crashed into her pillow and shut her eyes.

“Careful, R0!” Pyrrha scolded with her arms out as if she thought she may have to assist her. When she realized Rose was fine, she relaxed but gave her a disapproving look. “That’s probably how you wound up like this in the first place!”

“Eh, semantics!” Rose waved it off and yawned again.

“You’re using that word wrong…” Weiss instantly corrected the wastelander out of force of habit, but it was only a few seconds later that both she and Rose realized what had happened. The beep on rose’s heart monitor quickened and Weiss stared at her in shock but chose to stay silent. It wasn’t just her that was reacting to the comment, but there was no way…

“Are you alright?” Pyrrha placed the back of her hand to Rose’s forehead and Rose closed the corresponding eye, leaning away childishly. “You really took a toll on yourself, R0. You need more rest,” Pyrrha offered. “Since Qrow has permanently assigned me to you, your CALL button is programmed to call only me. I’ll be on duty until you’re out of here, but I’m gonna’ catch some rest. I’ve had a super hectic last few days. Will you be alright?”

“I can tell,” Rose replied, shaking off what had just happened. “Take care of yourself, N1. Can’t have you any less than 100%!”

“You’re the boss!” Pyrrha smiled as she started to walk away. “Weiss, you and Rose should both probably get as much rest as possible. Oobleck will be in to check on you later and give you the meds I left instructions for. You’ll probably be cleared tomorrow, as long as everything comes back clear!”

“Uh, thanks? I guess?” Weiss was confused about what was going. With what had just happened, Weiss was starting to feel like Yang. It wasn’t just the outside of Rose now; it was her other personality quirks… Everything else could easily be written off as age appropriate banter between adults, not just being a Xiao Long, but that particular vernacular error with a person who looked exactly like her… What were the chances of that? …But now there was this Pyrrha thing.

 Apparently, these two were well-acquainted. Then again, they never really asked much about Pyrrha’s life prior to enlistment. They had just assumed she was either late in joining the program or had come from one of the other complexes. Why were they referring to each other by such weird names?! Who the hell was Rose?! As nervous as she was to be left in the room alone with Rose now, she flashed a look at Yang, who nodded back.

“Hey! Pyr, wait up!” Yang called out as she ran after her. After a moment, she swung herself back into the doorway. “I’ll catch you later, Weiss! Rest up!” With that the blonde barreled through the hallway catching up to Pyrrha. “Hey, wait up!”

“Yes, Yang?”

“R-Oh-5-3 and N-1-K-Oh-5?”

“Oh! I’m sorry!” The doctor’s face went red with embarrassment and she covered her face. “It’s what we called each other where I was previously stationed! You see, Hunters don’t have names, so we are assigned numbers. The thing about Beacon is that they only assign numbers that can easily translate into a phonetic word. While we refer to one another by number, it’s much easier for outsiders to simply call us by the phonetic version! For example, R-0-5-3 can be read as Rose and N-1-K-0-5 can be read as Nikos. Most likely, you will only hear her call me by those.”

“Then what about ‘ _Pyrrha’_?” The blonde asked. It seemed rather heartless to call people by a series of numbers, but did that mean that “Pyrrha” was just a made up name? She’d been with them for two months, but she was really a completely different person.

“I…” Pyrrha froze and shifted uneasily. “Never said that I never _had_ a name…”

“Then-“ _Clack._ Pyrrha shut the door in Yang’s face. That was rude… Had she struck a nerve? It was unusual for Pyrrha’s mood to change so quickly, let alone sour so fast. This was really getting strange. Yang folded her arms behind her head and wandered off as she pondered the day’s events and thought over what Pyrrha had told her... Wait… Did she say Beacon?!

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, looks like Rose is already making mistakes. I do hope you guys like the dynamic between Rose and Pyrrha. I admit that it felt nice to make this more playful that Rose just being an asshole the whole time. So the beginning of the chapter started off pretty heavy with what happened to Ruby. This should raise a lot of questions on how she’s still alive, but we’ll get to that at a later chapter. Hunter’s are very different from regular humans, though only the higher ups have any vague ideas on how. Beacon is very quiet about what goes on beyond its doors. Very few in Vale have even the faintest clue, but next chapter, you’ll meet someone who does. I stated that Rose has only been healing for 4 days. Part of Hunters is that they have hyper-accelerated healing capabilities, so months of healing really only takes about a week for them. Though it isn’t unheard of to manage it faster, it would come at a cost to them.


	4. The New CO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Happy New Year! How were the holidays for all of you? Mine were full of work and stress but I made it through! Last time, I gave you guys a lot more of a playful side of Rose because “drugs”. This time, you’ll see a bit more of Rose’s serious side. She has been avoiding talking to Weiss since her slip up lol. I’m going to start shaping the point of the story starting with this chapter! Anyway, enjoy guys!

 

“Hey, kiddo!” A gruff male voice came from across the room. “How ya’ holdin’ up?” A soft grunt followed a ruffling sound. “Careful. I thought you were supposed to heal a lot faster than normal people.”

“We – hng – are,” came a female voice. Having woken up to the sound of conversation, Weiss decided to eavesdrop a bit before making her consciousness known. Being placed in the same room as Rose, Weiss had sat mostly in silence, especially since that exchange between them. If there was something that she was hiding, Rose wasn’t very good at making her unsuspicious. Even when awake, she went the extra mile to ignore Weiss every time she attempted to strike up a conversation. It usually resulted in a panicked look, followed by a call to Pyrrha. Only when other people were in the room did Rose ever communicate with Weiss, and they were usually brief comments that the doctor drew out of her. “Let’s just say that I’m being punished for ignoring orders. They like to think that pain lets you reflect on your actions.”

“And… are you reflecting?”

“I really am going to have to kill her, Qrow… I,” Rose’s breath hitched for a moment. “I’ve never taken the life of someone that I cared about. I’m not sure that I can do this or that I even have enough time. The team you’re assigning isn’t ready; they’re out of practice and Vale can’t afford any more casualties… It’s suffered enough.”

“Heh,” the older man chuckled to himself. The fondness in his voice was something that Weiss hadn’t heard in a very long time… As much as Weiss was suspicious, it didn’t make any sense for her to actually be Ruby and it wasn’t healthy for him to project her onto this girl. All Weiss needed to know was if maybe they had known each other. Maybe that was it – Rose could have met her and been emulating her… which made her a terrible human being to be putting Squad 9’s members through this… “Even after all this time, you still worry too much… Rose, why not let someone else save you for a change?”

He’d known her for a while??? Just how long had Qrow been aware of a Ruby look-alike? Maybe she was a long lost twin… No, Ruby would have told Weiss about that. She was sure of it! Rose was just a person who happened to look like her… and Qrow knew her too…

“What does it look like I’m doing here?” Rose shot back blandly.

“No,” Qrow interjected. “I mean _really_ save y-“

“I believe I had Pyrrha ask you about someone’s location while I was out,” Rose interrupted him and a brief but heavy silence ensued before she spoke again. “Do you have anything on that?”

“Yeah,” he grumbled to himself and the sound of crinkling paper shuffled around. “That’s what you need, though I can’t imagine why you’d want it.” His voice came closer and the curtain around Weiss’ bed was drawn open.

“I see… A Faunus?” Rose eyed over the paper. “Interesting…”

“Is there something wrong with that?” There was disapproval in Qrow’s voice. “I didn’t take you for being racist.”

“Racist?” There was a pause before Rose spoke again, though she remained just as calm a she started. “No, nothing like that. Being a Faunus isn’t a problem – it’s where they come from that makes me concerned.”

“Concerned?”

“Yes… Mission details… I do need more information about him though. Anything helps,” Rose mused in a distracted voice before she called out across the room. “The rate of your breathing changed a few minutes ago, _Master Specialist_ Schnee. We’re both aware that you’re awake. You don’t have to pretend.” Weiss opened her eyes and slowly sat up in embarrassment and hint of anger. She didn’t like the way Rose said her title.

“I… didn’t want to interrupt,” Weiss hung her head in shame and dared to steal a glance at Rose. She looked surprisingly well for as bad as she had been. Instead of the castes she wore a few days ago, her injured limbs were now covered in bandages and her eyes were glued to a sheet of paper. Sensing Weiss’ eyes, Rose folded the paper back together and gave Weiss a curious look of her own.

“Yes?” Weiss had no answer for her. “I don’t really like being stared at, you know?”

“It’s just…” You look like someone I lost. “I haven’t heard you speak much.”

“I don’t have much to say.”

“Rose, you could try being a little more friendly,” Qrow scolded the dark-haired girl. “You’re going to have to see her every day.” Rose grunted in disapproval and her silver eyes scanned across Weiss before she mumbled something.

“You’re aim needs work.” There it was… the proverbial elephant in the room and why Weiss had assumed she was getting the silent treatment… Weiss had shot her… and that was why Rose had almost died… but it wasn’t like it was intentional… Well… it was… but not on purpose! “Being in one of the VDF’s nine Special Operations units, your title would lead others to believe you could hit your target.”

“Look, I didn’t know you were human!” Rose laughed darkly at Weiss’ outburst and mumbled something under her breath that earned a look from Qrow, but she chose to ignore it. “You attacked an innocent woman-”

“An _infected_ woman who turned moments after you shot me.”

“You failed to reply when I called out to you!” Weiss could understand what this girl was angrier about: Being shot or the infected woman being saved. “I thought I saw… Well, it doesn’t matter what I saw. I missed and it was a non-lethal shot!”

“That’s even worse.”

“How?!” Weiss shrieked. “How is that _any_ worse? You could be dead right now!”

“Doubtful, but my point is that you either shot me on purpose with a shot that is ineffective against human-grade mutants or you have poor aim. Kidney shots are no longer effective on the Affected, though it seems I should be thankful you missed that too.”

“Look, I’m apologizing!” Weiss groaned in frustration. “What more do you want from me? I followed standard protocol.”

“You are Squad 9’s current Squad Leader, correct?” Agent Rose asked.

“Well, yes…” Weiss’s face twisted in confusion. “Why do you know that?”

“It’s my job to know,” Rose snapped. “Just like it’s your job to follow protocol. Standard protocol states that you are to enter all rooms with at least one other squad member and remain with them at all times. As Squad Leader, it is your job to strategize and oversee that tasks are performed efficiently and aid where necessary. Not only did you go solo, you failed to identify and shot a Beacon official, and rescued an Affected that attacked you while you were already under attack. You’re lucky that luck happened to be on your side, but luck has a funny habit of not being there ‘ _next time’_.”

“Again, you failed to respond when called out to! What gives you the right to just show up and critique the way I run my squad?” Weiss turned red with anger. “You’re some random person slaughtering survivors that we rescued out in The Wasteland-“

“ _I_ did the rescuing.” Rose corrected as Weiss ranted on.

“And you happen to know Pyrrha and have some strange number related name that makes no sense.” Every thought she had that Rose might have been like Ruby went out the window. The _only_ thing they shared was an appearance and that one slipup. “What are you even? Some sort of dehumanized sleeper agent?”

“She’s a Hunter from Beacon, ranked at the highest caliber - a Reaper. They come in pairs and there’s only one active pair in service at any point in time… and she just happens to be Beacon’s Ambassador.” Qrow cut in. “… And Squad 9’s new commanding officer.”

“WHAT?!”

**ooOOoo**

“So Blakey,” a rambunctious blonde teased at the raven-haired cat girl as they strolled leisurely through the hallways of the Infirmary wing. “I bet you’re excited to break Weissy out of jail today!”

“Why must you refer to it like that?” Blake rolled her amber eyes in disinterest. Yang was really such a handful sometimes.

“Hey, any place that you’re held against your will is a prison and that jailbird practically lives in there,” Yang said with a dismissive wave of a hand. “Still, I bet you’re happy.”

“… Yes,” Blake said sheepishly and Yang numbed slightly at her expression. The blonde was fairly certain that Blake was aware of her feelings toward her, but it pained her to see her feline friend pine after their frosty leader. Weiss was far too invested in Yang’s late-sister and had yet to show any progress in accepting Ruby’s death. It was kind of hard to blame Weiss though. They had been attached at the hip since Ruby’s birth and Weiss couldn’t do anything except for watch in horror as the event unfolded.

Before that, Weiss had been a top tier strategist, constantly improving and keeping stride with Ruby and equally competent in the field. Those two had been an unstoppable force, alongside Weiss’ sister… But everything came crashing down when Winter began having episodes and Ruby became just another casualty in the long list of Frequency G’s victims. As the only sane member left of the family held responsible for the untimely death of Vale’s Hero, the porcelain girl had sunk into a bottomless depression and shouldered all of the blame… even the part that Neptune should have been held accountable for…

These days, Weiss tended to leave messes that spun so out of control that Blake had to handle the clean up, as her second-in-command. More often than not, she would charge in recklessly like she was hoping to meet her own end. Her only saving graces were that she cared enough to ensure her squad survived and that Blake and Yang were there to keep Squad 9 functional. They were a strange group that couldn’t operate efficiently in any other unit than their own and it showed every time they were split up.

“So, I was wondering,” Yang pondered aloud. “Have you gotten a chance to talk to Agent Rose yet?”

“Agent Rose?” Blake quirked an eyebrow at her.

“Ah, I guess they didn’t tell you the name of our self-sacrificing savior,” Yang frowned at the lack of information being passed around. “The girl that saved us – her name is Rose. Well, Pyrrha called her R-Oh-5-3, but she said that Rose was fine. Turns out they’re both Hunters from Beacon and Pyrrha is someone they call N-1-K-Oh-5.”

“Beacon?!” Blake gasped in shock. “I was wondering why that girl was out there by herself!... But Pyrrha too?! I just thought that Pyrrha was a doctor that had been transferred from another settlement!”

“Nah, Pyrrha’s supposed to be like really up there in the ranks.” Yang said distantly. “I’ve been trying to get more out of her whenever I get a chance, but she tends to avoid things about Rose for the most part. I don’t know about their ranks, but I do know that a Hunter has to be ridiculously high in the chain to be granted permission to head into settlements and Stronghold territories. I guess with them being on the frontlines, maybe Hunters forget how to interact with society?” Yang laughed at the thought, but that very idea was a bit foreboding. Then again, the idea that Rose brought all of them back on her own with such injuries made her seem so superhuman.

“What else did Pyrrha say?”

“Ah! Got your interest, huh?” Yang grinned mischievously. “Well, Rose was apparently headed here anyway, so our timing was perfect. I find it a bit odd that Rose’s and Weiss’ reports contradict each other though.”

“What do you mean?”

“Rose claims that she just happened to see our truck parked in front of a house and decided to stop in and help out.”

“We came to the conclusion someone had been in the process of clearing out the home,” Blake said with a puzzled expression. “Didn’t Weiss say they ran into her during her and Jaune’s sweep of the upstairs?”

“Exactly!” Yang grinned. “So I’m wondering if something was happening we weren’t supposed to see, maybe? I mean, she was trying to kill some chick and there was that suspicious machine in the basement.”

“WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT-“

Oh shit, that was Weiss’ voice. The two girls looked at each other and rushed down the hallway. It was only a matter of time before they thought the Ruby-look-alike was going to say something to her and this must have been it. They skidded to the door just as Qrow started a lecture.

“She’s a Hunter from Beacon, ranked as the highest caliber - a Reaper. They come in pairs and there’s only one active pair in service at any point in time… and she just happens to be Beacon’s Ambassador.” Qrow cut in. “… And Squad 9’s new Command Officer.”

“WHAT?!” Yang shouted in disbelief as she marched into the room, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. “There’s no way some Wasteland murderer is just gonna’ come in here and take Rubes’ spot. She might look like her, but she’s no replacement!”

“Aaaah, this is gonna’ be a pain,” Qrow rubbed the back of his neck. “I had hoped to talk to you separately, but I guess now is as good as ever. Look, you guys don’t have a choice in this matter.”

“Bullshit! I have a choice and I’m making it now!” The hot-headed blonde protested. “And I say _no_!”

“Qrow, while Yang is normally hastier in her decisions, I do have to say that I agree with her on this one.” Blake tried to rationalize with him. The feline stole a glance at the Reaper. She was so banged up, covered in bandages. There was one thing that she found strange though. Considering that Pyrrha had put her through considerable testing, the girl wore a metal ear cuff on each ear. They glinted with the room lighting from different spots on each ear, with the left crowning the top of her ear and right somewhere around the midway mark… Wouldn’t those have caused issues in the machines? “While I’m open to the idea of an _established_ CO overseeing us, it will be very difficult to fill Ruby’s shoes and someone who looks like her is probably not the best decision – no offense, Ambassador.”

“None taken!” Rose chirped happily, causing Weiss and Yang to do a double-take on the woman they were demonizing. “I also share your opinion! Believe me, this is being forced on me just as much as you guys.”

“Rose,” Qrow said with warning.

“Oh, what are you going to do?” Rose deadpanned at him. “Scold me to death?... Actually, that might be a better way to go out than people like me.”

“Look,” Qrow tried to reason. “I’m certain that Squad 9 is the best fit for Agents Rose and Nikos.”

“What, we’re getting Pyrrha too?!” Yang said in surprise.

“Well, yes,” Qrow seemed surprised that they didn’t know. “Pyrrha was sent ahead of Rose to determine what squad was best suited to their mission…” A nurse with a wheelchair came in. “I’m guessing that Weiss is being released and you girls are here to pick her up?”

“Uuuuuuuh, yeah,” Yang attempted to process everything. “Blake was coming to get her and I tagged along.”

“Alright, well, I guess I’ll walk you girls back to your living quarters. I need to make sure you all get as much rest as possible.” He watched as Weiss sat in the wheelchair and he flashed a look back at Rose’s bandaged arms. “How long ‘til you think you’re functional?”

“Pyrrha will probably clear me to do some sort of work around here by morning,” Rose spoke thoughtfully. “My movement will probably be restricted for a few more days. While we’re handling our investigation, I’m supposed to sit-in on some class, look over curriculum, and work out a re-education program to get everyone on the same page with Beacon.” Her eyes turned mischievous. “Whyyyyy? In need of my services so soon, General?” The slyness carried in her voice as she teased the older man.

“Restricted movement?” Qrow frowned as he pondered to himself. He tossed a packet of papers at her. Fumbling at first, she managed to set them straight and gave him a puzzled look.“… In that case, I’ll talk to Pyrrha. You’ll be leading a search and rescue team. Familiarize yourself with that.”

“Why should I rush through my recovery for a simple rescue mission?” Rose gave him a puzzled look. “You can send any team out there.”

“Look, the situation is pretty hairy. I wouldn’t send you, if I thought it was manageable on our own, but you’re already here and we can kill two birds with one stone,” Qrow’s voice bordered on aggravation over being questioned.  “I can’t afford to send anyone else out into the Wasteland right now and you need a good place to start your investigation. Something showed up in the last visual transmission that I believe pertains to it – a symbol. You need a place to start and I have good soldiers that may be dead. Let’s at least _try_ to work together on _something_.”

“Are you serious?!” Yang blurted out. “She’s not even close to healed up yet!” In the background, Yang caught the agent in question briskly thumbing over several sheets and set them to the side. When Rose set the sheets with details about the soldiers being rescued aside, she realized that Rose had no interest in the individuals being extracted. “You’re not even going to read them?!”

“The _Who_ and _Why_ of Vale’s missions are unimportant to me,” Rose stated dismissively. “Not that I owe you any explanation, but if we are really going to be forced into working together, there should be some degree of understanding as to how I work. My first concern is what Qrow seems to have gotten me into. The _Who_ and _Why_ simply add to the pressure of not failing. It’s best not to become invested in those details. Attachment breeds doubt , doubt breeds error, and error costs lives,” Rose flipped through another page, tilted her head as if something caught her interest, and continued to speak absently. “But don’t mistake that for… inattention… to details… huh…”

“Rose?” The older man found her sudden change in behavior alarming.

“Qrow…” Rose looked at him. “How did it get to this state?”

“Eh,” Qrow shrugged. “Wouldn’t the _How_ be just as unimportant?”

“Yeah, but this is ridiculous,” Rose argued back. “It’s virtually impossible.”

“Well good,” Qrow grinned as he crossed his arms. “Your specialty is _impossible_. I got faith in ya’, kiddo. You and I are both aware of what you’re capable of.” The two locked eyes for a moment; his words clearly conveying something unspoken between them, and Rose relented with an aggravated sigh.

“Fine,” she closed her eyes and sat back. “Have N1K05 stop by and we’ll talk strategy.”

“Great!” Qrow perked up. “I knew you’d come around!” He motioned to the three other girls. “Plus, it’ll give them a chance to develop an understanding of how Hunters operate.”

“Hmmmmm,” Rose hummed in acknowledgment, despite not really paying attention to him. Her focus was more on an examining an image among the papers in front of her. The girls started to walk out of the room and Qrow followed, stopping at the door.

“Rose,” she glanced at Qrow. “Look at who’s in there… Please…” There was an urgency in his voice that made Rose’s quirk a single brow. Though she didn’t look away from him, he saw her hand ghost over the papers she had tossed aside and he smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

**ooOOoo**

Yang swung her fist into a punching bag. Who the fuck did that kid think she was?! … Well, obviously she was a Hunter… and a badass level one, at that… Like, who ran around the Wasteland with a compound bow?! Apparently, Beacon’s “Ambassador” did… But above all else, she excelled at being a Grade A Bonafide _Asshole_!

“Yang, you’re gonna’ hurt yourself!” An arm caught her as her fist roll off the side of the bag. She lost her balance mid-swing and her body went with it. At the last second, Yang wrapped her free arm around the bag to keep herself from barreling forth any further. “See!”

“I’m fine!” Yang shrugged Blake off and steadied herself against the giant bag. “Shouldn’t you be checking on Weiss or something?” That’s all Blake ever wanted to do. It was always about Weiss.

“She doesn’t want anyone around her, right now. I think she’s still in a bit of shock,” Blake stepped behind her and placed her hands on her shoulders. Yang was so tense and she hated to see her like this. The feline slowly gathered the slightly damp and wavy mane that made up Yang’s long blonde hair, tying it with a spare hair tie that she kept on her person at all times.

After years of being around the blonde, it had become a habit to make sure she had one, since Yang tended to get worked up and forget them when she hit the gym. As the cool air hit the nape of her neck, Yang inhaled sharply but relaxed as her darker counterpart’s fingers ran through her thick mane.

“She’s still processing that she shot that girl and how similar she looks to…” Blake’s words ran off and she stopped herself as she felt some of the tension returning.

“Ah! Renny! We’re interrupting something!” A bubbly red-head latched onto the dark haired boy with the rogue pink strip in his bangs and hid partially behind him. “Run!”

“Nora…”  Blake dead panned her with a lack of amusement. “Not today. Yang’s dealing with a lot right now.” Losing her previously whimsical nature, Nora stood straight and her eyes grew concerned.

“Is it still about that wastelander?” Nora’s voice was hesitant at first, earning a glare from Yang. “It really was difficult to see her, but we’ll get past this. She’ll recover and go into society like everyone else we rescue.” As Nora spoke, Yang’s eyes gradually widened. Somehow she must have been getting through to Yang… This was a first!

“None of us will really see much of her after that, Yang,” Ren spoke up. “You won’t have to relive that again, but we’ll have to do something about Weiss...” Blake and Yang gave each other conflicted looks before deciding to handle the sensitive topic.

“Looks like Uncle Qrow conveniently forgot to talk to all of us about our new CO,” Yang said under her breath.

“Wait, what?!” Nora screeched. “What do you mean _our new CO_?” The blonde brawler let out an aggravated breath and gave an irritated chuckle.

“Blake,” Yang’s voice gave away her mental exhaustion. “I don’t really feel like going over this 20 more times. We’re missing someone.”

“Hahahaha,” speak of the devil. That was Jaune’s voice. “Well, you know, maybe I can show you around town some time?”

“Jaune,” another familiar voice hesitated. “I’d love to, but- oh! Um…” Pyrrha’s eyes fell on the group and they both blushed brightly. “Are you late for something with your squad?”

“Oh, hey guys,” Jaune laughed nervously and twiddled his fingers. “Fancy meeting you all here!” They’d never let him live this attempt at asking Pyrrha out down or the fact that he’d been secretly taking lessons from Pyrrha. “In the gym…” He nervously looked at them, but he was met with Yang’s irritated eyes and a perturbed Blake. “That Yang usually trains at…” Damn, he was stupid. Why would he think they wouldn’t be here?

“Pyrrha,” Blake spoke first. “Have you talked to the Reaper, yet?”

“Agent Rose? No,” Pyrrha’s brow furrowed. “She’s not due for another check up for a couple more hours. Was there something wrong?” The black and yellow duo flashed each other a look and Yang crossed her arms, grumbling to herself.

“Qrow assigned a mission to her earlier,” Blake began. “She requested your presence to… discuss strategy…”

“Uuuuh, strategy? But…” Jaune was extremely confused. “You’re a doctor, right?” Pyrrha looked down and lost her smile.

“Sort of,” she fidgeted, holding her arms behind her back. “I’ve been granted permission to operate as a field medic when needed, but I’m really only a doctor for Hunters. I was sent to verify that Vale could appropriately facilitate Hunter units… Did you say that Qrow already assigned her a mission?”

“Yeah,” Yang spat out. “And apparently, she’s taking over as our new CO? Did you know this?” Pyrrha’s eyes numbed and her expression went neutral.

“Excuse me,” Pyrrha lightly bowed her head and left the room, letting the door swing behind her.

“Un-fucking-believable!” Yang raised her hands in disbelief. “It’s like everyone knew but us!”

“Wait, what are you guys talking about? Pyrrha? Reaper?” Jaune was trying to grasp the situation but it just wasn’t happening.

“That girl that looks like Ruby is supposed to be supervising us,” Yang fumed. “And Pyrrha is her partner!” The color drained from the blonde boy. Pyrrha? This girl that looked like Ruby? They were supposed to work with them?... Pyrrha knew all this??? She knew how fractured the team had become… Was that why she had stuck so close to them, instead of the other teams?... Wasn’t Pyrrha from the Mistral Compound?

“Yang, what are you talking about?” Nora clung to Ren. “You’re not making any sense. Blake?” The feline buried her face in a hand.

“Yang,” Blake sighed. “Let me handle this.”

“No, you’re gonna’ sugar coat it!”

“Yang!” The blonde backed down like a kicked puppy when Blake raised her voice. “Just… please? It’s already stressful enough…” Yang’s shoulders sagged and she looked away, letting Blake take the floor. “Qrow seems to be under the impression that only Squad 9 will benefit a Reaper class Hunter, aka Agent Rose. There’s so much to try to make sense of right now and Beacon seems to have Vale under some sort of investigation, but a lot of it rides on whether or not Squad 9 can get along with Beacon’s ambassador… All that we know is that the names we have been given for them are phonetic pronunciations of their Hunter Codes – Ambassador Reaper Class Agent R053 and her partner Agent N1K05, who we know as Pyrrha.”

“So… _Pyrrha_ isn’t her real name?” Jaune’s voice was small with the realization that the girl he’d been crushing on had been keeping a great deal secret. He thought he had known her, but was their familiarity just some ploy to get to know his squad better? The more he thought on it, he was probably the most normal and approachable member of the team. In fact, compared to the others, he was downright boring. It had made him ecstatic that someone had noticed him first, for once. “I… see…” That must have been part of why she was so hesitant when he tried to ask her out a few minutes ago.

“Well, I say we find Yang’s uncle and break his legs until we get some answers!” Of course, Nora was the one to propose such an outlandish thing in an excitable manner.

“I’m up for that!” As silly as Nora was being, that sounded great to Yang, who joined her enthusiasm. “In fact, let’s break all of their legs!”

“Nora, n-.” And like that, Ren was ignored and the two were racing through the door. “Do they even know where they are going?”

“As carried away as they are, probably the Reaper’s hospital room,” Blake mumbled in aggravation. They were the worst two to let feed off of each other. “Though just going to see Qrow makes the most sense… I’ll grab Weiss and you guys hunt those two down.” She gave her orders as she walked out the door.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Rose has been healing fairly well, also at a much higher rate than she should – hmmmm, suspicion on Weiss’ end. Qrow was introduced in this chapter and we saw a little bit more into how the team feels. Rose has quite a lot of tasks to oversee while she’s at Vale. Might be a bit much for her to handle, but she’s quite hands-on for someone who “definitely isn’t Ruby”. In the original version, Rose decked Weiss in the face and became an absolute nightmare for Weiss to deal with.
> 
> This time, she just kind of gives her a lecture about her expectations of her. I felt this would say a bit more about how Ruby feels, seeing how Weiss has been affected. Though it isn’t depicted, Rose does this because Weiss would process it Ruby being disappointed in her. It’s a bit underhanded, but she wants to see Weiss move forward in a way like Yang. She doesn’t have to forget, like Yang tells her. Imagine how that’s gonna’ affect everyone when they find the truth!
> 
> In the original, Rose was hostile towards Yang/Weiss because she wanted them off the team as a way of protecting from running into Cinder. I did not get this far, but Rose was genuinely terrified of what Cinder would do because she is very well aware of what Squad 9 and Vale mean to Ruby. That detail about Cinder has not changed and she will definitely use this to her advantage.
> 
> The next chapter will set up 9’s first mission and start revealing what Rose and Pyrrha are doing out here. You’ll also get more incite on how “Rose” feels about what’s going on and start seeing what happened to her from her memories. I feel that the Prologue helped to set up a bit of why she is sort of cold to them. Don’t think she is unaffected!


	5. The Apprentice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Welcome to the next chapter and thanks so much for checking out Frequency G! I’m super glad I wrote out a ton of chapters and all I have to do is some editing because work has been killing me and I’ve had ZERO time! Anyway, enjoy!

“What do you mean ‘ _she’s not here_ ’?” The dark-haired General’s heart raced with worry. Where could Rose have gone?

“I-I was told by Squad 9 that she requested my presence a while ago and when I arrived,” Pyrrha motioned toward the bed. “Everything was a mess and she was already gone!” She furrowed her brows at him. “Did you give her these?!”

“Yes!” Qrow barked. “She’s assuming leadership over Squad 9’s first mission with her tomorrow and I need her informed!”

“I haven’t even cleared her to stand, let alone given an approval for duty!” Pyrrha lectured him. “Her body isn’t something that can just be abused over and over again!”

“Qrow!” Yang arrived breathlessly. Great…

“We want answers!” Nora pumped a fist in the air behind her. “Or we want blood! I prefer blood, but answers are just as good!”

“Not right now, you two,” Qrow waved them off. “Look, she’s the only one that can handle this sort of thing, and given a squad, I know she can handle it. I trust her to bring everyone home safely. I trust _you_ , don’t I?”

“If you trusted me so much,” the angry doctor marched over to him and pointed into his chest. “Then you would have waited for me to clear her! She’s lying about her injuries! I’m almost certain this has to do with the Reaper that went rogue!”

“Wait, F411?” Qrow’s voice became concerned. “There’s no way we wouldn’t have picked up on the abnormal activities associated with her.”

“Pyrrha’s not the other Reaper?” It was Weiss’ voice this time.

“Jesus, you guys multiply like rabbits!”

“They have a right to know what you’re throwing them into,” Pyrrha stepped forward so that she was eye-to-eye with him. “And how you’re putting their lives at risk just by associating with us … Have you even considered how _we_ feel on this matter?” He backed up as Pyrrha came at him, slamming her foot into the wall behind him. “Rose doesn’t have enough time to get everything she wants done,” she placed a hand over her heart. “Once this is all over, I’ll be taking her place, just like she did for the previous ambassador! I was handpicked by her. That’s why I’m the one here and not some other agent that can just _also_ kill things. I don’t know what has her so enamored with you, but your deceitfulness toward your own is sickening… Of all people, you should understand Rose’s importance to Beacon and what pertains to the end of her tenure.”

“I’m not hiding anything,” Qrow growled. “I’m just-“

“Then stop wasting her time! You already wasted enough of it with your irresponsibility earlier this year and now you’re doing it again,” Pyrrha glowered at him with an unfamiliar look and Qrow sank at the mention of that particular time frame. Right now, she reminded him of a far more passionate version of Rose. “I didn’t like you then and I still don’t like you now, but she insisted!... And now you’re here… alive… Back to causing more unneeded problems!”

“I never meant-“

“No, I’ve never had the chance to put my two cents in on this.” Fire burned in Pyrrha’s eyes. “I’m not a Reaper yet, but since F411 went rogue, I’ve been asked to _unofficially_ take over the Beacon related duties until the higher ups make a decision. F411 never even been named a candidate before she fled, so now I have the responsibilities they should have had, rather than focusing on my own future duties. Rose is in a fragile state and I’m trying so hard to just keep her going, but she’s pushed herself to the point where she’s teetering on the edge of obsession… I don’t want to see her turn out like F411 and neither do you!” A few tears streamed down Pyrrha’s face and she dropped her eyes. “She can’t lose herself…”

“If only I had gotten to Beacon first… Until I joined the ranks, F411 was the only one who treated her normally. _That woman_ gave her hope and she would have gladly followed her to the ends of the world… When I met Rose, she was the most charismatic leader I’d ever met! I won’t lie and say she was always happy, but Reaper Rose was the embodiment of what everyone in Beacon aspired to be. She filled us with hope that things would be okay in the end, but now she’s just hollow. F411 destroyed what would have amounted to Rose’s legacy. Do you think I’m ecstatic that she wasted the only proof of its success on you?!” She glared hard at him. “If we’d left you behind, then we would have used it on V1, like it was intended to be... and Rose could have achieved her goal…“

“It was intended for V1?” The older man’s mouth dropped open.

“Yes!” Pyrrha growled. “I don’t understand how she could have placed you above her!”

Qrow took a moment to regain his composure. It had been such a long time since the previous ambassador had been brought up. Actually, both the previous ones had been very adamant figures in his life. Until those two became Reapers, Beacon was very silent toward Vale. R053 must have wanted to keep some semblance of their previous leadership going. He swallowed thickly before he asked his next question.

“What about V1’s partner?”

“Decommissioned not long after V1.”

“I see,” Qrow digested that for a moment. “ _Decommissioned_?... Or _terminated_?”

“Decommissioned.” Qrow breathed a sigh of relief. As unlikely as it was to happen during his lifetime, it meant there was still hope for the previous Reapers to lead normal lives. At least, they wouldn’t be alone in it.

An odd turn of events had occurred with the previous pair. Beacon was always silent toward the strongholds and only extended their hand when they needed fresh recruits. Usually, one Reaper was promoted from among the denizens of the Hot Zone, while the other was selected from those who had once lived in the Wasteland territories… It was an unusual occurrence when both came from Vale, which now meant that Vale provided half of the Reapers to have existed.

“V1’s partner would have been the next to receive it,” Pyrrha stated. “But it went to you instead.” Qrow was silent in that moment. If he had been more careful, both of them could have been back and maybe things would have been okay. The only person who could command strict obedience from F411 was V1’s partner. The woman terrified her. Shit, she terrified him, but he loved her all the same.

While he understood Rose’s reasoning, he wouldn’t have exactly chosen V1 first. With the way things turned out, the smart thing to do would be to give it to the Reaper that reigned terror over Beacon and not the sweet ambassador that struck fear into no man or woman’s heart. F411 would never have stood in the way of her own predecessor, especially not when it came to V1. That was almost as bad as trying to walk through a room full of Weeping... Scratch that; he’d choose the room full of Weeping. At least with them, he had a chance of survival as long as he kept his distance.

“Can you use me to figure it out again?”

“What?!” Pyrrha stood back with a twisted expression.

“It already worked for me,” Qrow stated. “Could you use me to bring the other Reaper back? We’re more than compatible and F411 is terrified of her. She taught her damn near everything she knows, so she’ll think like her… Can you use me?”

“… I can’t promise that Beacon won’t do anything harmful to you without Rose there to oversee things, but it’s possible.” Pyrrha mulled over her thoughts. “Yes, I’m sure you could help to refigure things out. If it worked, then Beacon wouldn’t care how we go about handling F411.”

“I’m surprised Beacon didn’t keep me to begin with.”

“We’re surprised F411 hasn’t come for you yet,” Pyrrha cupped her chin in thought. “It’s actually concerning that it’s been so long and she hasn’t made an attempt on Vale yet. I’m sure Rose has the same concern, but before we do anything, I need to confer with her. She may want to go about things differently. There is a lot of mistrust flying around at the moment and no one knows who to trust,” Pyrrha’s face twisted in frustration. “Beacon is in complete disarray and we’ve yet to weed out F411’s sympathizers. I don’t know that Rose will want you there. Remaining inside Vale is probably the safest place for you.” Pyrrha thought to herself for a moment. “Qrow?”

“Yeah?”

“… It might be nice to have someone around that _can_ put Rose on a leash,” Pyrrha lamented. “I’ll try to convince her. She’ll at least listen to reason. Even if it’s not what she wants, she puts the desires of others before her own. Besides, Sensei will have the same goals as Rose.” Having calmed down, Pyrrha went back to the papers strewn across the bed. “She’s so disorganized.” The red-head gave a small laugh as she sorted the files. “This is easier to understand when there’s some sort of order. She’s such a kid…”

Puzzled with the change in atmosphere between them, Weiss was the first to walk into the room and look over what Pyrrha was doing. On more than one occasion, she recalled having to do the same for Ruby. It was always such a disaster trying to explain things to everyone when she haphazardly tossed everything around in a way that only made sense to her.

“It looks like there was a photo that stuck out to her,” Pyrrha pointed to the image that Qrow had mentioned to Rose earlier. “But what I didn’t understand was why she looked through the personnel files… until I looked closer at this photo and found him.” She pointed to a very small detail in the background behind the box with the emblem. It was grainy, due to the darkness of the room, but there was a blob of blue next to a blob of yellow. She then pulled two particular files out, flipped them open, and Weiss felt herself go numb.

“Sun Wukong… and Neptune Vesalius.” The team leader’s voice was just as numb as her eyes as she said the last name. Why did he deserve to be saved? Why would this motivate Rose? Did she feel more pressed to perform here because of her appearance? If so, her personality didn’t show it… but if she had been betrayed by a partner and her personality changed as drastically as Pyrrha claimed, maybe it made sense. “Why does his existence matter to her?” Pyrrha looked at Weiss expressionlessly, mulling over her answer.

“Before Rose set out, she wasn’t sure how things should be approached, primarily due to you and Yang,” Pyrrha started. “Though she was unhappy about it, Rose agreed to exchange our services for a base of operations only because the request came directly from Qrow Branwen. She never discussed it with me either, but I do know that the Beacon Committee has added extra pressure on her under the suspicion that she has been conspiring with F411.” Pyrrha rubbed at her arm with uncertainty. “Rose did not know how to approach things and started going over Captain Xiao Long’s career here. While she doesn’t intend to fill the void, if she is going to be thrown into that spot, she wanted to make things as seamless as possible. Rose feels that Vesalius made the correct decision and that his actions were something that Xiao Long would have wanted, rather than becoming one of the monsters we have to kill… Anything is better than that…”

“It’s not her right to forgive him!” Yang shouted and Pyrrha gave her a sad smile.

“I never said she was,” Pyrrha said distantly and looked at Qrow. “You don’t have to forgive someone to save them, right?” Qrow looked like those words had hit him more deeply than Pyrrha’s earlier physical display. It wouldn’t surprise him if she knew the full story behind how Rose wound up at Beacon – the part after Ruby was pronounced dead... He could never ask for her forgiveness.

“You said that Rose studied Ruby?” Weiss concluded that her assumption had been correct. She really was a horrible human being – copying her mannerisms. What the hell was wrong with her?! How could she think that was alright?! “She said something the other day that’s been bothering me and I was really hoping she wasn’t trying to pretend to be Ruby, but you just confirmed that for me…”

“What do you mean?” Pyrrha cocked her head with genuine curiosity. She really had no clue what Weiss was referring to. If she had to be honest, Pyrrha thought Rose had a less than stellar start to “filling” Ruby’s shoes. The girl had lost her touch at being social with non-Hunters.

“It’s something that Ruby does… did,” Weiss corrected herself as she spoke. “Ruby had this terrible habit of using _fancy words,_ as she called them, completely out of context to try to make herself sound smarter - like _semantics_ , instead of _details_. They have completely different meanings.”

“Oh yeah, I did notice you correct her!” Yang dropped a fist into her other hand. “I didn’t realize it meant anything, but she did do that… Wait,” Yang’s eyes narrowed. “She’s copying my sister down to her speech?! What the hell is her problem?!”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you all,” Pyrrha shook her head. “But Rose has done that since even I met her. It’s not something unique to your case.” Shit…

Pyrrha tried to steady herself on this subject. The one characteristic Rose had maintained over the years was her particular choice of vernacular when she became relaxed. Try as hard as they might, Pyrrha and F411 had never been able to break her of those habits. It was like she intentionally didn’t want to let that go… but she supposed that all of them had some part of their old selves they didn’t want to let go… For Pyrrha and F411, it was their names, but Rose had been all too happy to throw hers away from the start. She said it was to _honor the one who came before her_. F411 said that Rose had picked her name almost as soon as she met the previous Reapers.

“Not to change the subject,” Ren’s voice came calm, but stern. “But are we certain that she’s gone?”

“Before Qrow arrived, I had just contacted Coco about the vehicle registry,” Pyrrha nodded as she spoke. “Her bike was retrieved and repaired while she was out cold, now it’s been signed out and her signature is on the sheet. I can tell you right now that she went to do this by herself… and it looks impossible.”

“That’s why I wanted to send her in with a whole team,” Qrow offered. “Tomorrow morning, not today.”

“Even more impossible,” Pyrrha shook her head. “9 would get swarmed and according to the report there are far more than the stampede from their last engagement. Beowolves are diurnal. It’s the alphas that developed a nocturnal clock. She’ll be able to get through by herself with little issue, but it’s bringing them home that will be the problem.” Pyrrha pointed to the top of the blue prints. “Up here, there is a ventilation shaft that she would be small enough to slip into. The only issues she’ll face getting in are the Nevermores patrolling the night sky. Several small ones were sighted and a larger one that has taken to roosting over the rooftop entry. Due to the amount of Beowolves nesting at ground level, this makes front entry impossible without endangering the platoon inside. That leaves the rooftop. While the Nevermore is a giant problem, they have poor night vision and she may be able to sneak past… but Rose is very much like you and your niece…” The doctor shuddered as she recalled previous dealings she’d had with Rose. “Eventually… stealth becomes a bit too much for her to handle.”

“Hey!” Yang took that to heart.

“She’s right, you know,” Blake pointed out. “Really, only Ren and I are suited for stealth. Maybe Jaune or Weiss on a good day, but that’s still not enough people to handle this.”

“So, what do you think she’ll do?” Qrow hovered over Pyrrha a bit more.

“Honestly?” Qrow looked at her earnestly. “Only one of these squads means anything to her. Judging from her recent behavior, she’ll cause a lot of commotion on the way in and use the rest of the platoon as a diversion. If anyone else survives, that’ll be a plus to her…” Qrow’s expression went neutral. “She’s not in the best mindset, right now. She gets like this when anything involving F411 happens. That’s why I wish you had discussed this with me first!” Pyrrha sighed and headed toward the door, passing the others.

“Where are you going?” Qrow asked.

“To knock some sense into my ambassador’s head before she does something stupid again…”

“If you go out there without backup, you’re gonna’ die,” Qrow frowned and Pyrrha glared back at him.

“We’re Hunters, Qrow,” she hissed. “Our lives were over the moment Beacon set their sights on us.” There was a tense moment between the two as they traded words through their eyes.

“Fine… Just,” he shifted uneasily and offered a fake smile. “Don’t die… Future Ambassador.” A small smile graced her lips and she turned to leave.

“Save your concern for Rose,” she said warmly. “She’s the one with the death wish.”

“Pyrrha, wait.” Yang called out and she turned around. “I’m angry – really angry – I have a lot I want to say right now – a lot I want to ask - and the last person I want to help is Neptune.”

“I understand, Yang. I really do. This team holds harsh feelings toward him for having a hand in your sister’s passing,” Pyrrha recalled, though the version that she had heard entailed Qrow having given him the order and Yang didn’t seem to hold any animosity toward him. Was this something that the blonde didn’t know? Had Weiss not realized it or told her either?... Or had Neptune opted to shoulder all the blame himself? Regardless, it wasn’t something she was going to bring up, but the entire thing was a ticking time bomb. “This is most likely why Rose did not wait.”

“Yeah,” the blonde muttered to herself. “But if anyone knows anything about being stubborn, it’s me. We can help, even if we’re not happy about it. Vesalius isn’t the only one out there and the others don’t deserve it. If she’s gonna’ cause a lot of noise and wake them up, the least we can do is thin things out for them.”

“Are you sure?”

"Does this mean I get to blow things up?!" Nora danced in her spot and got a nod from Yang. "Yes!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaaaaay, Nora gets her wish! (Finally.) Some questions got answered by Pyrrha, but there’s still enough going on that raises more. The previous Reapers have a lot of influence on F411, R053, and N1K05. Not sure if it was clear, but one of the things I wanted readers to understand from Pyrrha’s explanation is why Rose is upset with Cinder. It’s not just because she stole “her legacy”. It’s because she saved Qrow’s life, thinking she could just reproduce what had been done. The Reaper V1 was who she wanted to bring back more than anything and F411 took that away from her, so their personal feud is literally over that. Rose just needed Beacon’s Committee to give her an official order to go after her. There is a reason that Rose went to Vale though and it has to do with the way “Sensei” trained them. I hope the previous Reapers are easy enough to figure out. Their code names are things that will make you go “-_- …really…”. I’ve also had to look up a lot of military related stuff for this story. At first, I was just gonna’ have them as random people with training banded together, then I went to a martial law style area, and finally settled on a compound very much like the how people live in the Custom Robo games or like a more modern Attack On Titan, but the wall has a roof to protect from aerial Grimm. Next chapter shows what Rose is doing, answers some more questions, we finally get someone who’s makes it known that they aren’t clueless, and you get to meet the important people in the platoon. The chapter after that has some sad-sads.


	6. RIP (Rescue In Progress)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! What’s up? You’ll get some understanding of what the Grimm are in this chapter and a bit about Hunters.

Vale’s towers were set up in a manner so that they were constantly relaying information back to Vale’s headquarters. It was a system set up to detect anything that emitted the Frequency G waves that caused the living to mutate into their Grimm counterparts. Grimm – that’s what those who lived in the Hot Zone called The Mutated. Still, the downside was that the creatures stopped emitting the waves during their slumber. In this way, it also made it difficult to detect the waves in an unconscious person, which meant these people had to go through a series of lengthy tests. Rose sighed as her bike rolled over the cracked dirt of the Wasteland. It was hard to imagine that this all used to be lush and green back before the first G-quency swept over the world, introducing a larger, new domain system to life – the Grimm.

A mirror of the Eukaryotic domain, the Grimm differed in their emission of brain waves. Beta waves were blocked by some sort of micro-organism that ran rampant throughout their bodies and rewired their brains to broadcast the very same frequency that altered them. This new domain attacked anything that emitted Beta waves without warning and it was believe that they identified friend from foe based on these waves, though just like their former selves, there were still some that didn’t play well with others of their kind.

In the beginning, only humans had been affected, becoming rabid and mindless beings – the Affected, as they called them, but shortly after, many of the world’s other creatures joined in the insanity. Somehow, humanity began to overcome whatever had tainted the world, but then everything went to Hell. That was when the second wave hit and what little advancements had been made were long lost in the fires that spread across the Earth. The Affected began to mutate in horrendous amalgamations and even the dead returned to life.

When humanity first learned of the frequency, they worked tirelessly to develop a way to detect it. It worked by blocking and reprogramming the brain’s beta waves, and in turn, every Grimm emitted the G-quency and responded to it. The Grimm were strange in that they were drawn to beta waves, often being docile until a being that produced beta waves was near. Within the creatures’ field of range, detection was almost instantaneous and this was how humanity stumbled across their chance to fight back.

Towers were erected that sent out low frequency waves that matched those of beta waves. While these wavelengths did not possess human consciousness, the G-quency still put up a resistance that showed up as little blips on a sonar like screen. From this, they could effortlessly detect nests and prepare themselves. Unfortunately, those towers tended to draw interest from Beowolves and Nevermore… and Rose was headed toward one.

A bright red light flashed through the sky, illuminating the sinister silhouette of the tower against the night sky. At first sight, it just seemed to be a harmless structure in the middle of nowhere, but Rose knew better. A second flash came, revealing a giant mass beneath it. Judging from its shape, she would place her bets on that being the adult Nevermore that had made the tower its home. From the files Qrow had given her, she knew the grounds were littered with Beowolves that would keep her from getting in close… but she had a plan. Albeit, a risky one that only a fool would try, but she supposed that title suited her perfectly for the moment.

 _Kill them..._ The huntress shook the thoughts away from her mind. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by that voice right now. Lives were at stake and she couldn’t afford to be careless.

Lifting her left arm from the handle bars, Rose freed a rectangular device from her waist. Secretly, she was thankful that Pyrrha had placed Crescent Rose with her bike. Vale might have confiscated it otherwise, as they initially thought she was a simple wastelander and would have tried to integrate her into regular society. The last thing she needed was someone poking around her precious tools to the point they required tedious repairs. If she had to be honest, she’d have preferred they hadn’t touched her bike either, but then she wouldn’t have been out here yet.

With a push of a button, the device expanded into an alternate form from the scythe she had chosen for her encounter with Cinder. She sat up straighter and balanced herself, using her right hand to draw an arrow from the quiver beneath her billowing cape and took aim. She pulled back the string and released the arrow a moment later. Far ahead of her, it sank into the earth and a small light flickered violently, before an explosion occurred. The ground around it splintered, jutting upward and Rose hit it hard, rising into the air with it.

Sailing through the sky, she pulled back several more arrows and fired as many of them as she could into the crowd of Beowolves. From a brief scan, she could see that there was a truck in front of the entrance with its hood open and determined that the Beowolves had interrupted repairs. That was alright. The arrows weren’t timed anyway. They would come into play later. She pulled herself up over the handle bars and shuddered at the sight of the Nevermore. The purr of her bike’s engine had roused it from its sleep and it stretched its great wings. Damn.

With a loud caw, a flurry of smaller ones chirped to life, screechingas they fluttered out from behind it. She closed her eyes for a moment and braced herself for the coming hit from the adult and leapt off as it made contact. As she sailed through the air, she glanced back to verify that the protection system she’d installed into the bike had kicked in. After a second, a giant parachute deployed and it sank toward the ground. Pulling up her mask, she mentally sighed. What did this amount of preparedness say about the frequency she resorted to unconventional methods?

 _Killkillkillkillkillkillki-_ The voices kept getting louder and louder as she drew closer to the birds. The only way to make it stop was to kill all of them and it was driving her insane. She didn’t have time for this! _Killkillkillki-_ Gah! Fine! She’d kill two birds with one stone!... Heh, she smirked to herself at that one. Yang would have been so proud.

In a fluid movement, she latched onto the sides of the rooftop ventilation shaft and swung herself into the opening. Several of the miniature Nevermore swarm after her. Despite her distaste for the use of standard weaponry in missions, she fished out an emergency incendiary that she kept on her person and pulled the pin. She tossed it behind her as she fell down and crashed hard through a metal covering.

_Killkillkillkillkillkillki-_

“Holy crap! Are you alright?” A blonde soldier ran to her to help her up, but she pushed herself up and tackled him to the ground as a wave of flames charred the ground where she was. Several birds plopped to the ground and the flames licked out furiously from the bottom of the vent. “Whoa…”

_..._

Oh sweet silence! The voices were gone! Rose jumped up and scanned over the soldiers in the room. While most of them stared at her with wide eyes, none of them were who she was looking for. She’d have to see if there were others around. She took a step and suddenly a disorienting feeling hit her and she clutched her side, falling to her knee. Not again…

“Hey, are you okay?” The blonde soldier hesitated and a few others shouldered their rifles in alarm. “You weren’t bitten, were you?”

“I took a bullet the other day,” she let the wave of pain work through her body until it evened out into something manageable. “Doc has me on bed rest... I’m just not very good at staying still.”

“I can see that,” he laughed and offered a hand to her. “Corporal Sun Wukong of Squad 8. It’s good to see you made it in here alive. That was quite a stunt you pulled out there. Never seen anything like it.”

“Reaper Rose,” the huntress took his hand and he helped her up. “I’ve been tasked with getting you guys out of here… Wukong, you…” She gave him a once over. While she knew his hair was often unkempt, the scraggly facial hair he had grown and shagginess of his hair was a clear testament to how long the men had been stuck there. “Look different…“

“Huh?” He blinked a couple times in surprise. Something did seem familiar about this girl, though he definitely didn’t know a Reaper. “Have we met?”

“No, I just,” she steadied herself. “Your beard was unexpected.”

“Oh yeah! Haha,” he laughed. “Y’know, thought I’d try something new! Went for the whole caveman look! Figured it suited our predicament! We might as well all look the part!” Well, his sense of humor was a good sign. Where others might have thought it in poor taste, it actually meant that morale wasn’t quite as low as she would have thought.

“You are Vesalius’ bunkmate, correct?”

“What could you possibly want with the Hero Killer?” A well-built man with an obnoxious air about him posed in irritation.

“Winchester, chill,” Sun rolled his eyes.

“Blow it out your ass, chimp!” Winchester flipped him off and returned to a small group of soldiers.

“Chimps don’t have tails, gorilla!” Sun’s golden tail shot out behind him in emphasis.

“He seems… pleasant…” Rose deadpanned at him. Private Cardin Winchester of Squad 7 – arrogant and talented, with a hatred of Faunus. She knew his name very well… and that wasn’t a good thing for him. If she had to name any particular feelings she held toward him, _spite_ would be among the first words to come to mind.

“Oh, don’t mind him,” Sun waved him off. “His bark is worse than his bite. He’s an ass, but no matter how much he dislikes me for what I am, I’ve always been able to count on him.” The blonde emphasized his point with a wag of his tail. That’s right -  8’s squad leader was a monkey Faunus and his partner was the infamous Neptune Vesalius. “Anyway, Neptune’s fine. He’s on lookout and sent someone down to let us know about you.”

“Sent someone… down?”

“Yeah… Walk with me,” Sun shifted uneasily. “Comms went down as we were sending our distress call. We figured they’d put things together and send someone in once we had been gone too long. It’s a real crap situation out here.”

“Where are the other squad leaders?” Sun shook his head with a grimace. “Who is running this assignment?”

“They’re all dead.”

“All of them?” He nodded. “Three teams and you’re the only Corporal alive… Great...”

“Well, I can take you see the Lieutenant,” Sun offered.“Lt. Torchwick was put in charge but he’s been pretty moody.”

“Yes, please.” He stared at her for a moment before he decided to lead the way. There was something about her that seemed familiar. Her eyes reminded him of someone long gone, but their intensity spoke of a person who had long-since lost any sliver of innocence. Still, that posture and the way she carried herself was so distinct… Who did he know that was like this?

As they walked through the hangar, Rose spotted several strange looking crates. Had they been storing something here? Now that she thought about it, there had been a few outside the tower too. One box in particular caught her eye though. It was a lone box toppled from a forklift. One of its sides jutted outward like something broke out of it. Dried blood was splashed across the floor and several bodies in unfamiliar matching attire were strewn about and the stench of death was heavy in the air.

Sun knocked three times on the weighted double doors and waited for them to open. A tall light-skinned boy with grey hair sized them up before letting them pass. As she stepped in, Rose took a mental inventory of the people in the room. With his bowler hat tilted to cover his eyes and a cigar crooked to the side of his mouth, Torchwick sat at the head of the table in mobsteresque fashion. Beside him was a girl with hair half-pink and half brunette, while a tan girl with green hair sat across from her. Neopolitan was a mute girl that was known to follow Torchwick without question and Emerald Sustrai, whose hair matched her name, was partnered with Mercury Black – the door guy.

“Oh great. Did we find another one?” Torchwick muttered. “Toss her in with the other prisoner.”

“Prisoner?”

“They’ll explain in a moment,” Sun assured her. “Sir, she’s been sent as part of a rescue party.”

“Party?” The lieutenant quirked his eyebrow in suspicion.

“It’s just me,” Rose answered. “I couldn’t get anyone else in without causing a huge disturbance.”

“I’ve heard nothing about a rescue of any kind.”

“Roman, our comms are down,” Mercury reminded his lieutenant. “There’s that Nevermore that knocked it out.”

“Ah, right,” the lieutenant flicked his cigar. “Well, what can I do to help you help me?”

“We can start with what happened,” Rose mentally rolled her eyes at his question. “I’ve noticed several unusual things since I arrived.”

“We were sent to retake this tower from what we assumed to be a few wastelanders taking refuge somewhere they shouldn’t be,” Torchwick sat back and sighed. “Mission was simple: Clear a few mutants, re-establish the detection system, bring the wastelanders back with us and be home before dark. Just a normal day’s work!…But when we arrived, some fanatical group of people was packing these oddly obedient mutant into crates.” … Obedient???

“Was there a logo on the crates?” Rose recalled the still-frame shot from the files and the crates throughout the tower.

“Come to think of it, yeah,” he looked up in thought. “A beast head with claw marks.” Her blood ran cold at the description. Only one group was that brazen… and that was why Beacon had sent them to investigate the area’s strange happenings.

“I saw the crate that was busted. Did one of them get loose?”

“Yeah, that damned Nevermore,” Mercury added. “That’s how this all started. It got out and then they all woke up and it turned into a shitstorm.”

“I see,” Rose ran her hand across the fabric that covered her chin. “Darkness keeps most of them asleep. If the lights were on and the crates were opened, it definitely would have woken the Nevermore up and the rest of the Grimm would have followed. Nevermore aren’t exactly quiet.”

“Well, we managed to get most of them out, but there are a few humanoid types we’ve locked away in the basement,” he shifted uneasily. “Unfortunately, some of our fallen teammates are in there, including squad leaders. We retrieved some of their tags, but not all.” Hmmm, no soldier deserved to be forgotten. Silently, she made an oath to herself to come back to set them free later. She didn’t have the time to spare if she wanted to get everyone out before dawn.

“Torchwick,” she spoke with authority. “Thanks to your leadership, many of these men and women are still alive. While those who fell will be missed, it is thanks to their sacrifice that others have the chance to live. You’ve done very well – remember that.”

“… Who are you?” It confused him to have someone much younger than himself speak with authority.

“Reaper Class Hunter and Beacon’s Wasteland Territory Ambassador - Agent R053,” Rose recited like an automated message. “But Rose will suffice.”

“Is it really that bad out there that they had to send a top tier Hunter?” Rose nodded in confirmation.

“The entire place is infested with wolves and Nevermore hatchlings. It’s a miracle I made it in. I’ve made preparations to aid you all in getting out, though nothing is guaranteed. I saw a truck outside with its hood up. What’s the situation with vehicles?”

“About that,” Torchwick’s eyes veered away. “We may need volunteers to stay back and send in another team…”

“I’m not sure what Captain you serve under,” Rose shook her head. “But we don’t leave people behind.”

“I’m not sure what else to do. I have three squads worth of people, enough to carry two, and a horde of Grimm out there just waiting to pick us off. We can’t get to Squad 6’s vehicle.”

“Squad 6 is the team you personally oversee, correct?” Rose asked and he nodded. “I see. What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing anymore. She gave us a bit of trouble on the way out here, but we finished the repairs. The Grimm just surprised us and shutting the hood wasn’t exactly a priority. The problem is getting to her.”

“Alright,” she pulled at the bandage wrapped around her left arm. “The Grimm we’re surrounded by are a diurnal variety, which means they are currently asleep. I didn’t see too many Alphas patrolling, so I want to get all of us out of here tonight. We’ll split into three teams – one that I will guide to the Squad 6 truck. I need only those who are suited to stealth.”

“Squad 8 would be your choice then…” The members of 6 shifted uneasily with Sun being in the room. There was a long pause before Sun spoke.

“I’d have to agree…” Sun’s demeanor darkened. “As much as I hate the idea, we’re a team of snipers and scouts. It’s our job to go undetected.”

“Squad 9’s sister team _would_ have to be one that compliments their boisterousness,” Rose commented more tp herself than anyone else.

“Wait,” Sun’s expression became puzzled. “How do you know about that?”

“Oh, right… Nothing’s been announced,” Rose snapped her fingers. “As of today, I will be personally be overseeing Squad 9 and have been granted Captaincy over Squads 1 - 9.” The monkey shrank inward.

“Then you must know the history between our teams…”

“That is precisely why I am here,” she offered. “A measure of good faith between us. It’s time for Vale to move forward,” Rose said distantly before she forced herself to move foward with the conversation. “We should go. I’d like to get through this as soon as possible. Rally everyone together.” With that, Rose turned to leave and wobbled again, falling forward into Sun’s arms.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” She pressed her hand to her side and felt dampness… Great… She brought her hand up, revealing a dark, wet spot on the black shirt that hugged against her abdomen. Things began to blur and she felt faint… Why now… “Rose… Rose?... Sta… w…. me… ose…”

**ooOOoo**

Why was she such an idiot?! Pyrrha silently fumed to herself as they floored it through the Wasteland. Rose had a full two hour head start on them.  How could she leave her behind? It didn’t matter that Squad 8 was stuck out there. She could have at least talked this over with her first. They might have at least stood a chance with two Hunters. It wasn’t _entirely_ impossible to do with one Hunter, but Rose’s current condition wasn’t up to par.

“So, I’m still not getting why she tried to do this on her own,” Yang grumbled.

“She likes to be a pain,” Pyrrha responded harshly. “I’m gonna’ lay into her so hard when I see her.”

“You couldn’t lay into a fly,” Yang teased at her. She was still angry, but Pyrrha was a known softy. Yang wasn’t even sure the Huntress had seen combat. Could she fight the Mutated??? “So, I noticed that Rose doesn’t use traditional weaponry.”

“Ah, none of us do,” Yang’s face twisted in confusion, looking at the rifle currently strapped to Pyrrha’s shoulder. “That doesn’t mean we don’t know how. We only use them in emergencies or when distractions are needed, but we pride ourselves on more silent alternatives. Most of our missions require us to get in and out very quickly, so we can’t afford to draw a lot of attention or cause a lot of noise. Often, we are sent into nesting grounds to plant bombs and clear out areas. Our goal is to take back territories rather than rescue, though we still do find survivors on the occasion. I know it’s difficult to think that there are still humans out there, but they are taking refuge somewhere.”

“Unaffected people still live inside the Hot Zone?” It was Weiss who asked this time and Pyrrha nodded.

“Yes,” Pyrrha smiled. “Very much so and many of them choose to join our ranks. They already spent so much time fending for themselves and they know the terrain better than us. They wouldn’t be able to integrate into society normally, so we offer a place for their talents.” Pyrrha shifted her sights. “That was one of the first changes that Rose brought in with her. Many of us existed without purpose.”

“You’re from the Hot Zone?” Leaning back from the passenger seat, Jaune looked at her with a hint of betrayal.

“No… I’m from Mistral.”As a force of habit, she traced her fingers along the golden circlet that spanned across her forehead to cope with her uneasiness. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. Unfortunately, she had grown especially fond of him, but for that very reason, she couldn’t afford to get closer to him. Not with what was really going on. Rose’s time was running short and she was living on the same kind of borrowed time. There wasn’t much difference between them – Rose was just further along in the process. “I haven’t lied to you, Jaune. I may have withheld information, but I have not lied to any of you.”

“How can I believe that?” He asked. “How can any of us?”

“As Hunters, we are forbidden to discuss our past,” Pyrrha’s eyes betrayed her sadness. “To do so is punishable by death… If Rose were to know that I’ve said anything to any of you, she would…” The huntress let her words trail off. She wasn’t really sure what Rose would do. The Rose she had come to admire would probably let it slide, as long as Pyrrha didn’t add anything further.

Each stronghold had different policies for its people and stayed rather private, sharing personell files only when necessary. Only the high ranking officials ever left their zones and it was rare that anyone ever ventured into Valean territories. As children, Ruby and Pyrrha had met a few times since their mothers had been an instrumental part in founding human settlements. Unfortunately, the adults that built these safe havens couldn’t agree with each other and split off into separate groups. However, Ruby’s mother held such a deep love of her friends that she would not send them into the Wasteland with no protection and that was how Mistral and Atlas got a head start.

It did take a lot of time to send over files though. Despite the fact they had re-established cellular towers and a cruder version of internet, the strongholds weren’t exactly willing to part with personnel information. It took a good deal of coaxing and that was why Rose and F411 had not forced her to change her name entirely. There was simply no reason that Pyrrha should ever run into a Mistrali, unless they had been “collected” for Beacon’s purposes. However, in regard to Mistral, Pyrrha’s circumstance was very much the same as Rose’s.

“Wai-wai-wai-wai-wait!” Nora flailed her arms around in surprise. “Rose would kill you?!... Her partner?!”

“Partner...” Pyrrha’s positive demeanor diminished. “I think you misunderstand things. Vale has become more of a base of operations for us under the agreement that we will assist the VDF as needed – this includes a revamping of current curriculum. It’s very outdated...” The red-head grimaced as she spoke. “We are here to locate a hostile group of Zoners that have made their way into the Wasteland and intend to de-stabilize the safe havens humanity has created. Our mission is to investigate, capture, and/or eliminate those involved... including Rose’s partner...”

“Wait, what?!” Nora screeched and clamped her head between her hands like a vice. “But... aren’t you... wait... Ow, my brain hurts!” Despite the seriousness of the situation, Pyrrha chuckled at her antics. What did it say about her that she could still find amusement in these situations? Was this human? Or should she consider this unacceptable?... Pyrrha’s fingers slid to a stop and she continued on with a smile.

 “I am Rose’s protégé. Due to circumstances, I have been asked to assume the role of the other Reaper, but I am not her _partner_ ,” she explained. “But this is a good opportunity for me. Rose hopes for me to take her place once her tenure is over.”

“So you’re like gonna’ be the next ruler of Beacon and you’re breaking the rules already?” Nora grinned maliciously. “Beacon sure has a thing for rogues in leadership!”

“I- no- I,” Pyrrha sputtered as she tried to defend herself. “I’m not.”

“Relax,” Yang patted her hands hard on Pyrrha’s shoulders. “She’s teasing you.”

“Silence, peasant!” Nora bellowed out at Yang. “We are in the presence of _royalty_!”

“See?” Yang grinned for a moment before her expression fell. “But seriously, Rose would kill you?”

“I am... not sure,” Pyrrha said uneasily as she watched Vale shrink into the distance. “She’s changed a lot over the past few months and become so guarded… But I’m not F411. What she did is unforgiveable… In comparison, this is a minor slip up.”

“You don’t have to worry,” Yang smiled and then frowned. “Even if we are upset, I doubt any of us will say anything. We’re mad, but not _you should die_ mad.”

“Thank you, Yang…” Pyrrha offered a smile in return. “I’ll try to get Rose to be more personable once this is over… She’s really not as bad as you guys think she is… and maybe we can explain some things better.”

“That’d be great,” Weiss muttered. “It’d be nice to finally understand what we’ve been suddenly roped into.”

From next to Weiss, Blake watched her quietly. It was was bit disturbing, almost like she was studying her prey and Pyrrha shuddered. Her run-ins with Faunus weren’t exactly the most positive and usually resulted in an almost endless slaughter. Blake was different though, along with the nine Faunus children who had been liberated from the White Fang. That was something strange too.

Ten Faunus children had been brought to Vale, but only nine were in service. Maybe she should ask the feline about the tenth child later. From what she had heard, Beacon debated on keeping him, but he was virtually blind. Where most efforts were focused on the feline, rabbit, and primate-type children, the bull Faunus had become somwhat of a disinterest at Beacon until they just stopped watching him.

Still, it was strange to find the feline focused on someone other than the platinum blonde, but 9 had become all this girl had now. They were hers and she was probably searching for any sign that she was going to harm what was hers. As Yang sat down to make some final adjustments to her gun, the feline got up to stand beside Pyrrha and looked in the same direction as her.

“… Your real name is Pyrrha Nikos?” Blake tilted her head with a curious look, but for some reason, Pyrrha got the strangest feeling that this was a loaded question.

“Yes,” Pyrrha brushed some hair past her ear and fiddled with her circlet, drawing attention to an additional glint. Only today had Blake noticed that the two huntresses wore the same style of ear cuffs, though Pyrrha’s both snugly fit around the part where her ears rounded. Was this a Hunter thing or a Reaper thing?... Or maybe it was just a master-apprentice thing. Maybe Pyrrha was simply paying homage to someone she looked up to.

“Is Rose like that too? Using her last name? Or is it _just_ a simple code?” Blake had decided to pry a bit more. Ever since Beacon rescued her from the Hot Zone, Blake had been fascinated with Beacon’s Hunters. Unfortunately, her curiousity was now fueled by the threat they posed to the family those very same people had made possible. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but you mentioned someone named V1 earlier. Based on you and Rose, you would call her Vi. What does _Rose_ have to do with paying homage to her?”

“Oh, it’s um, V1’s last name,” Pyrrha fidgeted a bit. “I only met her shortly before she was decommissioned, but V1 was quite kind. You see, Rose’s actual number is R053v2, so we called them V1 and V2 for a while ago. That was actually how Rose was introduced to me and I sat there for hours trying to figure out what sort of name that was supposed to spell, until V1 explained things to me,” Pyrrha laughed at the memory.

“V1 had such an infectious laugh and left a very large impact on Rose.” The red-head shifted where she stood, letting her ponytail sway behind her. “I’ve heard from others that Rose was incredibly hostile and easily provoked when she first arrived. We met as children, so I didn’t believe it, but F411 said the rumors were true. She said that the previous Reapers had such an affect on her that Rose became docile. Once she inherited V1’s title, Rose became extremely focused on a goal and pursued it relentlessly.”

“So Rose is like a 2.0 type deal?” Yang grinned playfully, trying to lighten the mood. It really sounded like Rose had been through a rough time. No wonder she was an asshole, ‘cause Yang definitely didn’t see any hints of this niceness Pyrrha was convinced of.

“So you use your name and so does F411,” Blake pieced things together out loud. “Which I assume is Fall, but Rose uses someone else’s name?”

“It’s her last name,” Pyrrha said as if she were recalling something. “It was how the idea came to me.”

“But you just said that she took V1’s name,” Nora wore a confused look. “How?... What?... Brain... hurt... again.”

“Yes, I did say that,” Pyrrha smiled warmly. “V1 is Rose’s mother. I suppose that’s why she left such an impression on her. Talking about V1 is the only time she really smiles anymore. She was so excited to bring her out of cryo… but F411 took that away from her… F411… didn’t like when anyone else held Rose’s attention.”

“Well, that’s a pretty shitty reason to flip out and become a traitor,” Yang shoved the magazine back into her rifle. “This chick is pretty nuts, I guess?”

“That’s an understatement,” Pyrrha muttered. “As much as I learned from F411, I never much cared for her.” Pyrrha noticed that Blake’s behavior had changed a bit the longer she listened. Eventually, the feline spoke.

“Pyrrha, you know that I’m a Faunus, right? I think it would be pretty obvious,” she emphasized with a flick of her ears. “I’m sure that you’ve run into plenty of us out there.”

“Ten years ago, I remember the Mistrali officials making a big deal about the first Faunus children being brought to Vale from the Hot Zone. I didn’t have any experience with them until I arrived at Beacon and went on my first mission,” Pyrrha’s mood saddened. “Faunus are a relatively new occurence, only appearing over the last 15 years. A reactor melted down after the Second Wave washed over the world and caused massive changes in the flora and fauna. Many remained unaffected by the reactor, but their unborn children experienced changes. The survivors out there treat them so poorly due to their differences and Beacon brought ten children back, nine who went on to be placed in Vale’s ranks… You are one of them, Blake?”

“Yes,” Blake nodded quietly. “I hated humans, but something drew me to Ruby and Weiss. My first interaction with Yang-“

“Ayo!” The blonde grinned at the mention of her name.

“…Wasn’t _quite_ so positive,” Blake ignored the blonde and continued. “But she’s probably the one that showed me humans can be kind. The rest of Squad 9 really hammered that in.”

“That’s wonderful,” Pyrrha smiled warmly as Blake recalled things.

“Yeah, it is,” Blake’s ears drooped and she blushed, but she managed to recompose herself. “I hated that I couldn’t fit in and tried so hard to hide the most obvious parts of me, but Yang taught me that they were wonderful things and Ruby showed me that I could use what made me different to help people and make our mark on the world in a positive way… I can hear, see, and _smell_ things that everyone else can’t.”

“…” A stoic expression washed over the hunter’s face as she picked up on the underlying meaning behind Blake’s words. “How long?”

“I picked it up faintly while we were investigating the home, but it was too impossible to be true,” Blake said just low enough for only Pyrrha to hear. “I’ll keep it to myself for now, only because I trust in who she _was_ , but I’m equally surprised to hear about V1. Am I to understand that you are also in a similar situation with Mistral?”

“…Yes…” Blake’s eyes flitted up to the nervous shaking of Pyrrha’s hand against the latch bar. Whatever Beacon had going on was clearly a huge burden on its hunters and clearly dangerous, but did this mean that Beacon had discovered a cure. She thought back to the mention of Rose’s legacy and the conversation with Qrow earlier.

“You kept mentioning time. She’s going to die again, isn’t she?” Pyrrha’s eyes darted to the floor. “And you?”

“… Not if Rose is successful,” Pyrrha said in an almost drone-like state. “None of us will ever have to worry again…”

“Yang can’t know…” Blake’s eyes screamed desperation as she mentally relived everything they had gone through. Sure, Weiss had taken things very hard, but Yang had almost killed Weiss over it. A rift had been torn between the two and Yang blamed her. Even if she played it cool with Weiss, it was to keep appearances. Ruby’s death had lasting effects and Yang wanted very little to do with their team leader. She was more than happy to let Weiss live in misery, save for when it affected Blake.

After all the time Yang spent warming Blake up to everyone, the least she could do was help Yang through everything. Around the time Blake had started growing closer to Weiss and trying to help her through things, Yang became vocally aggressive toward Weiss and it caused the feline to have to dance around them. She really wasn’t sure what was going through the blonde’s head.

“Everything okay?” Yang called out with her usual smile and Blake sighed. This was a face Yang had adopted as a wall to block out everything wrong underneath. She knew the blonde wasn’t as slow as she let the others believe.

“Oh yeah, it’s fine!” Blake smiled at the blonde with an equal mask to counter hers. “I just wanted to see how useful I can be to their mission! It’s the least I can do for the people who brought me to you all!” The two looked at each other as if they could somehow read the other’s mind.

“…kay…” Yang dropped the smile and spoke in a monotone voice. If Blake wanted to hide things too, that was fine. She’d get it out of her one way or another.

“Blake,”Pyrrha’s toned changed, communicating something that was meant only to be understood by the Faunus. “Keep an open mind and make her trust you, please… She needs this more than you could ever know…. I know I’d give anything for this sort of thing.”

Yang looked back and forth between the two with a confused look. Weren’t they talking about the Blake being a Faunus?... Did Rose not like Faunus?! What was there not to like about Blake?!

A monstrous dark shape came up in the distance, with a red flash illuminating the sky every few seconds and a massive shape stretched dark wings toward the sky. With a shrill vocalization, a swarm of darkness spread out from its wings and Pyrrha pressed her fingers to her sinuses, wiping them beneath her brows in a soothing motion. Suddenly, her equilibrium shifted and her sight blurred for a moment. She pressed her fingers to the circlet and adjusted it once more. As a Hunter, being the only one in the group affected by it was cause enough to discuss with Rose after this was all over. For now, her attention was needed here.

“Everyone hold on and prepare yourselves! Ren, swing us around,” Pyrrha ordered and latched onto a bar that lined the roof. “We need to do something about those Nevermores!” Right now, they needed to be a distraction and that’s what they were going to do.

As the truck swung to a stop, Pyrrha looked through the reticle of the rifle she had brought with her. Despite her earlier condemnation of guns, it was exactly what they needed. Volume was what they needed and volume they would have. With a squeeze of the trigger, bullets flew from the barrel, felling several of the avian Grimm.

A brilliant conflagration of flames billowed up from ground level of the tower, followed by a loud bang as the sounds finally reached them. With another shrill cry, the large Nevermore took to the sky and Pyrrha felt that disorienting feeling return… Just what the hell was going on up there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I tackled some stuff about who V1 is and what the Hunters’ mission is. I also decided to explain what Frequency G does and how. It’s actually important because it explains certain things that happen with Rose down the road and makes you question how Hunters are able to resist it. I wanted to show in this chapter what it is that happens when the G-quency is emitted and that there is a clear difference between how Rose and Pyrrha interact with it. And shocker, Blake figured things out lol. Also, Neo and Sun will be staple characters! Next chapter explains how Ruby and Cinder met, but it also wraps up the tower mission. See you guys next week!


	7. Voices From the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to skip a couple updates on a few stories! I know I said I’m ahead of schedule, but I do still try to edit them before posting. Y’know, make sure grammar and everything is good! Just been busy as crap at work. Anyway, enjoy!

 

_Beacon Patient Holding Cell, five years ago..._

_Why am I here?_

In the darkness, she was surrounded by the moans of countless others – some in pain, others succumbing to a feverish delusions. All of them were at varying stages, but the hymn of desperation was always the same. Many times before, she had tried to soothe the others – maybe she could ease her owns doubts - , but the outcome was always the same and she had already given up. The fever was eating away at her too and she was dizzy… How had this happened? How had someone once so great fallen so low? Tears stung her eyes and a choked sob tugged sorely at the back of her throat. She wouldn’t show her fear - her weakness - to the others. Even as it altered her to the very core, she wouldn’t allow it to break her down into an emotional wreck. She would not mirror the poor souls with whom she had been entombed.

Across the room, an adolescent boy not much older than her began to convulse and the others around him scattered, clawing at the walls for dear life. They screamed and someone called for help, but what did it matter? They’d die soon enough. They might as well go out this way. They were already Affected… Infected??? What did it matter anymore… This was the fate that awaited all of them. They were only being kept alive by the graces of an injection that stunted the mutation’s growth and gave them a little more time. If anything, this act was simply the torturing of an already dying mind, but there were no weapons with which to end their suffering.

Oddly enough, an incident had played out not long ago where one of the other captives had succumbed to a violent rage and killed another. In his horror and desperation to erase his actions, he had gone insane with guilt and smashed the body against the wall until a bone protruded from the broken body. He used it as a shiv to end his own life… She almost admired that insane man. At least, he had a courage that she didn’t possess. No, instead, she was a coward - a _useless_ coward. Once a prodigy beloved by many, she was a true disgrace to the life she had formerly lead - a stain that was wasting away in this dungeon, lacking even the will to move from the damp, cold spot against the wall she had claimed weeks ago… Two entire weeks… She cursed the partial resistance her blood type afforded her and stunted the effects even more so than others.

With a violent jerk, the convulsing boy jerked upright and shrieked loudly – a Tweaker. Ah, so he was O negative. Glancing up ever so slightly, she made eye contact with him, scoffing as he bolted toward her. Awaiting her knight in virulent armor, she gave a defeated smile and dropped her head. Finally, she would be free of this curse, but in the end, it was someone else that would grant her release; not herself… but he stopped…. Why?!

 _Kill him…_ Who was talking to her?

He croaked inwardly; his raspy vocal chords clicking as they vibrated with air. Yellowed eyes rolled about lazily in awkward directions as he focused on her, determining whether she was food or of his own kind. An intense rage burned inside of her, lapping away at the self-deprecation she had experienced only moments before and filling her with poisonous bile. Who was this thing to treat her so… so abnormally?! Gritting her teeth in anger, blind rage granted her the sudden inspiration to launch herself at the freshly-turned mutant and she grabbed its collar. No… No!!! He wouldn’t look away from her!

“What’s wrong with you?! Am I not good enough?! Kill me, damn it!!!” She let go of him and he just stared at her. Did he truly think she was one of them? Behind the Tweaker, a child sniffled fearfully and the mutant jerked itself around, scrambling haphazardly toward the noise. It descended upon the thin boy who struggled desperately to keep its gnashing teeth away. That was the first time she had ever felt it… Pure, unadulterated hatred… and it felt good. For once, it felt like the voice in her head was making sense.

_Kill him!!!_

An intense anger swelled in her chest and the world turned red, and for the first time, she could see the world clearly. It was like a glowing ring encased her sight and she could only focus on one thing - her prey. Tearing off in blind rage, she leapt at the newborn Tweaker and tore it away from the boy. Yanking it by the hair of its head, she repeatedly slammed its face against the wall, screaming in rage. Every contact made with the cement blocks sent a fresh wave of blood spattering across her person, but it didn’t matter. This was the release she was seeking and it felt great to let loose. All those years of pent up rage and her newfound disappointment with herself were coming fruition. She no longer had to be afraid and her heart soared!

_Killkillkillkillkillkillki-_

“Hic…” What? Mind still hazy with rage, she remembered the boy that stood next to her. Pinning the gurgling Tweaker to the wall, she looked at the boy she had “saved”. Had she even intended to? No, if she were to be honest, she hadn’t even truly acknowledged his presence. Under her gaze, the boy flinched and hurriedly backed away. In his eyes, her irises reflected brightly with the signs of mutation and her heart sank… Could she even use that form of expression anymore? Feeling herself clam, she looked first to the creature writhing against the wall, then down at the blood that coated her person. Lifting her eyes, she took in the sight of the fearful boy.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?!_ Her thoughts turned back to everyone she had left behind. They’d be so disappointed with what she’d become. Well, really, she’d just dropped the mask she always wore. There was no reason to hide her true self anymore. Winter had been the only one that accepted this side of her anyway, but she had fallen for Weiss and Weiss had fallen for... someone she had created. An character she’d been forced to live as because they needed a hero and she played her part well – all the way to the end... But there was no longer any need for a hero here. The only solace she had was that was safe from “the hero” now. There was public to let down, no broken faunus to show a new world, no responsibilities, no Weiss to hope would accept her as she truly was... She had nothing that was hers... Nothing ever was...

“… Are you... alright?” Watching her fight through her words, the boy hesitated before he nodded in response and she released the twitching mess of a mutant. It slumped to the floor unable to put together enough coordination to perform basic motor skills. The doors slammed open and two guards came in, escorting a new patient. Golden and silver eyes locked with each other; one confident and hopeful, the other marred by blood and hostility.

“Dammit! Another one turned?!” The two guards gathered around the three patients, one watching her hesitantly, and the other checking the mess of a mutant on the floor. “0762, what happened here?” She knew he was referring to her by the number on her shirt, but she was still trying to process what was going on inside her head. It had was difficult speak – difficult to think – difficult to come back from where she was. “O762, respond!” He cautiously trained his weapon on her. “0762!”

“She saved me. H-he attacked me and sh-she saved m-me!” Just as the guards finger touched the trigger, the boy’s trembling voice cut through the tension. He smiled gratefully at her and took her hand. Meeting his eyes, the reflective nature of the infection had disappeared and he showed little fear toward her.

Somehow, she had managed to bring herself back from wherever she had gone. It had been difficult to fight through, but it wasn’t entirely impossible. Looking at the guards, she caught the eyes of the curious addition to the roster and looked back to the boy.

“I’m sorry…” Devoid of emotion, she shuffled off, feeling less alive than ever. How had she lost herself so quickly? Why did she enjoy that? Was this how she was turning? What would she become? This wasn’t like the stories she had heard. Part of her mind was alive and buzzed, relishing that display of violence and begged for more. Another part cried out in sorrow, disgusted with her actions and the pleasure she had received from it…

Why did it ignore her?! Was she no longer even good enough for mutants?! Just how far had she fallen?… She was a coward and a disgrace to her former self… Collapsing into her spot, she touched a hand to her chest and felt for her heartbeat. Fingers tracing along the mechanical device fixed into her chest, a pit opened in her stomach. Even if she was here for the same reason as everyone else in this room, only one thing was certain to her now: Out of everyone here, that Affected specifically recognized her as one of his own… This nightmare was real… and there was no waking up.

Dwelling in her thoughts, she shivered in her chosen spot for several minutes. There was no safe-haven in her mental seclusion. It further ridiculed her, replaying visions of her own death. A beautiful girl in white screaming her name in horror. Soldiers dragging her away. Gunfire. The unimaginable pain as a high caliber round tore through her chest… And the haunting wails of the creature that stripped her of everything...

The sound of bare feet padded across the ground, stopping in front of her, but she didn’t acknowledge them. The person in front of her knelt down and touched her, earning a hostile glare from her… It was the newcomer… Hadn’t she gathered what was happening? She was dangerous. The woman before her tilted her head up and molten gold eyes gazed into her own mercury pools as the woman took her hands.

_…Kill he-_

“My name is Cinder… Cinder Fall,” her soothing voice cut through the other voices. “And yours?” Searching Cinder’s eyes, she hesitated as she mulled over whether it was worth introducing herself. This was the first person to genuinely reach out to her since she had been here. She wasn’t like the other captives. Her clothes weren’t like the soldiers that often came in, but it wasn’t anything like a typical wastelander dressed.

 “Ruby…”She swallowed hard and pushed the voices in her head aside. “…Ruby Xiao Long…”

**ooOOoo**

“She managed to get in here on her own with a gunshot wound?! Is she crazy?!” Rose’s eyes fluttered open to the sound of Black’s voice as she regained her bearings. With a smile of pure elation across her face, the quiet girl with multicolored hair hovered over her and made motions to draw the others’ attention. “They must be on one hell of a different level that us. What kind of drugs are they giving them in there?!”

“The kind you definitely don’t want,” Rose mumbled as Neo helped her sit up and she chuckled to herself. “Makes us all a bit crazy.” Something ruffled to her side and she lifted her shirt. Apparently, they redid her bandages with whatever they could find. Duct tape was an efficient enough adhesive for what it needed to do. It was just going to hurt like a bitch when she took it off later. “How long was I out?”

“About an hour,” the lime-haired girl offered and shifted a bit. “Sun’s gone to get everyone ready. He said he figured you’d still want to do this when you woke up. Are you up for it?”

“Yeah,” Rose pressed her palm to her head and Neo gave her a concerned look. “I just wasn’t expecting it to reopen again… Thought I was further along in healing.”

“How long has it been?” Sustrai asked.

“About a week, I think…”

“A week?!” The grey haired boy shrieked. “Seriously! What kind of drugs are you on?! I’ve seen gunshot wounds before. There’s no way you’ve healed up that quickly. What were you shot with – a .22?”

“An XTAR?” Rose shrugged and stood up. Something else felt different…

“No way the bullets from that thing left that small of a wound!” He looked at her in disbelief. “You’d have to heal abnormally fast for that.”

“Feel free to confirm with the 9’s squad leader,” Rose said with disinterest.

“ _Weiss Schnee_ shot you?!” He couldn’t believe that. Not with the way Rose looked. Something else had to have happened.

“Why are you so interested in my recovery, anyway?” She spotted her cloak and lifted it up, but froze. That was why the interest. She realized what it was that felt different now… Rose brought her hand to her face and traced where the missing fabric should have been, covering the lower half of her face with her arm as her fear had been confirmed. “Who removed my mask?”

“We had to in order to confirm you were breathing,” Sustrai said and Neo developed a look like a kicked puppy. “…It was faster than removing the cloak…”

“Was Wukong in here?” Neo’s expression stayed the same and her blood ran cold. She wasn’t ready. What if this affected her mission? She couldn’t afford for rumors to spread.

“Yes,” Sustrai’s voice went dark. “He asked that we keep this to ourselves until we had a better understanding of the situation. Who are you?” The tan girl’s eyes followed Rose as she strapped the mask back in place.

“Vesalius cannot see my face,” Rose said firmly. “It’s already been hard enough on 9. No one was supposed to see me until later. My proxy was supposed to handle everything while I worked behind the scenes.” An intense moment passed before she spoke again. “I will talk to Wukong as well, but I only want to explain things in detail once… I just share _her_ appearance. Nothing more. Please don’t make a spectacle out of this.” To her side, Neo pointed at her mouth and gave her a flat look. “Uh, what does that mean?”

“Her lips are definitely sealed,” Sustrai sighed. “Neo’s mute.” Neo gave a double thumbs up with a smile… Well, that was… a start…

“She’s definitely nothing like her,” Black whistled. “Xiao Long was super nice. This girl’s got a bit of a bite to her.” Rose cocked an eye brow at him. “I never got to officially meet Captain Xiao Long, but I admired the hell out of her. I even hoped to make the Squad 9 cut one day. That’s where all the misfits went, but they all came together so nicely under her and she was so kind to every one of them. Nothing about her was threatening, but you just scream suspicious. Not so sure I trust you, but if it keeps Ruby Xiao Long’s name out of it, I’ll stay quiet. I won’t have some hunter tarnish it.”

“Heh,” Rose gave a dark laugh and pulled her hood back up. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” The Reaper left the room in search of the blonde Faunus, leaving the three members of Squad 6 behind.

“… She’s changed a lot,” Black mumbled to himself.

“Did you mean what you said, Mercury?” The tan girl asked. “That you admired her that much?” He nodded. “I didn’t know.”

“I didn’t want to believe it was her, but you saw everything too,” his heart raced in his chest and Neo patted his shoulder. “There’s no way Ruby could have survived what happened. What is Beacon doing, Em?” Emerald’s eyes darkened. It wasn’t just the gun shot that had alarmed them.

Neo had completely freaked out and alerted them to the progressively worse wounds that littered the “look-alike’s” body. Rose was covered in so many bite marks and lethal wounds, but it was the scar tissue across her chest that did it for them. It was consistent with the bullet wound that had ended Ruby Xiao Long’s life five years ago. If this was really her, then this meant that Neptune didn’t kill her… and that something else entirely was going on… But why would she come back to captain Squad 9 out of all the squads?

“What happened to her out there?” The mood darkened until Neo hopped up and walked to the door. She held out a hand and motioned to the door. “Heh, I guess you’re right. We should be more concerned with getting out of here. Right, Mercury?” Neo grinned and he gave a small laugh.

“Well, we can always count on Neo, eh?” He patted her on the head as they left the room and she followed closely behind. It was funny to think that this girl was the most efficient and knowledgeable member of their team. The only thing that kept her from a more advanced position was the fact that she couldn’t communicate verbally. Lt. Torchwick still looked to her as an advisor and to keep morale up. Something about the girl’s condition and how she never let it affect her just lifted everyone’s spirits. If she wasn’t one to be brought down by a situation, they couldn’t very well let themselves be.

It was strange to see the immediate area so empty, but as they got closer to the garage, they found where everyone had gone. Torchwick was addressing all the squads with Rose beside him. Near the back, Sun and Neptune were watching intently, though Sun was watching _too_ intently. The triad walked up behind him and Neo tapped his shoulder. He immediately spun around and she gave him a knowing look. He looked away, but returned his gaze to the front.

“I know morale is low,” Torchwick clenched a fist. “But the good news is that we’ll all be able to get out of here tonight! This Reaper has been sent to help us, and as long as we follow her plan, we’ll all survive. Squads 6 and 7 will use the vehicles inside, while 8 will secure the Squad 6 truck. On Rose’s signal, we’ll high tail it out of here and be back home with a warm meal and hot water. How’s that sound to everyone?” Most of the troops cheered at the idea of getting out, but a few were unenthusiastic – mainly Squad 8. They had to go out into the danger for a chance at reaching home.

“Alright,” the Reaper rose her arm. “If I can have your attention, Squad 8, you will be with me. Please prepare yourselves accordingly.” The Reaper began to lay out their plan of action, while Torchwick made his way toward his remaining squad members. When Rose finished, he motioned toward her and she came over to him.

“Yes?” The Reaper looked at him curiously.

“Mercury, Emerald, I’d like to have a word with these two alone,” Torchwick offered a friendly smile to them and the former two wandered off to join their squad. The lieutenant waited for them to be out of earshot and turned serious. “Rose, I would like you to take Neopolitan with you.” The dual-haired girl’s eyes went wide with panic and he chuckled to himself. “Don’t worry Neo. 6 will be fine without you for one mission and 8 could really use someone strong and silent.” She shook her head in dispute but he grinned at her. “See, you’re perfect!” Her frown grew in response and she leered at him. “Hey, don’t that tone of glare with me! It’s just for now.“

“Oh, I know!” He snapped in an animated fashion. “How about I take you somewhere nice when we get back as an apology?” She squinted in disapproval and an idea popped into his head. Placing his hand on the bowl of his hat, he lifted it and placed it on top of her head. “I’m giving you a very important job, Neo. Guard that hat with your life,” he winked at her and she touched it. “I’m going to want it back!” A few tears pooled in her eyes and she hugged him tightly. With a fond smile, he returned the hug with equal emotion. “Silly girl. It’s not like this is good-bye.” He rubbed her back for a moment before separating himself. “Go on and help them get set up.” With one last look, she sniffled and searched his eyes before she turned and left.

“Is she your daughter?”

“Something like that,” he lit his cigar. “I think of her as family, either way.”

“It’s a shame you lied to her,” Rose said wistfully. “I would have liked to have said my proper good-byes to my own family.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled knowingly.

“I’m sure you can understand hope, Miss Xiao Long.” Her eyes widened and he lifted a finger to his lips. “No need to worry. I’ll take it to my grave with me as long you make sure she gets out of her alive.”

“You don’t need to die, Torchwick,” she looked at him adamantly.

“You and I both know that miscalculations happen,” he smiled sadly. “We both also know that the Squad with the highest chance of survival is whoever you are with and I want to stack the odds in her favor. Someone in here will make a mistake and a captain stays with his men until the end.”

“You’re not a captain. This isn’t your duty.”

“Eh, close enough. I’m all these men have left to look toward for leadership, but 8 will follow its sister squad to death and back – especially now that it’s lost its captain. Now, get out of here before she catches on.” He turned her around and pushed her toward Squad 8, slinking away before she could look back.

“So, I guess Torchwick is sticking us with the prisoner too… Damn, he’s really giving us the short end of the stick,” Neptune complained. “How are we supposed to keep them quiet?”

“We knock him out,” the Reaper’s voice was cold when she joined them. “If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll do it.”

“Well, it’s just…” Neptune fidgeted.

“Yes?” While she was happy to see him alive, he had grown nervous over time and was taking up precious time.

“ _He_ ’s a _she_ … I can’t hit a lady.”

“As I said, I have no problem with thi-.” Something heavy thudded down in front of them and Neo tipped off Roman’s hat to them before she rolled her eyes. “Well, that takes care of that anyway. Anymore problems?” Neptune looked down at the tanned darkly clad Faunus.

“Oh man,” he whined to himself. “I guess not.”

“Since you’re so nervous,” Rose tilted her head and smiled with her eyes. “I’m sure you’ll be extra careful carrying her!” He sighed and started to pick her up. This was crap!

**ooOOoo**

Sliding under the garage door, Rose went first to assure the coast was clear. A firm tap against came against the door and the rest of the squad slid under. Neptune dragged the prisoner under with him and hoisted her over his shoulder, but a thought occurred to him. Where the hell was he supposed to go again?

“Wh-“ A hand firmly came across his mouth, muffling him and a pair of silver eyes glared at him through the darkness. Rose’s finger came up to her lips and pointed out the sea of sleeping wolves before them. The weight of the prisoner suddenly doubled and he felt faint.

Being a sniper, he’d never had to get this close before. He was always at a safe distance from his prey. Now, he was on the opposite side of the coin. Rose motioned to a box and scampered away noiselessly. With light footsteps, he followed her. The others had gone ahead to the truck and she led him to the back of the truck with Neo.

Luckily, the back had been left open. Unluckily, one of 6’s fallen members was in there. Rose signaled for them both to remain silent and she drew her knife. Effortlessly, she slid up into the truck and launched herself at him, plunging the blade into the back of his neck and severing his spine. Neptune cringed at the heartless efficiency she showed toward his former compatriot, but he supposed they were all the same to her.

Unexpectedly, she pulled the dog tag from his neck, as well as a small note from his front pocket. She offered him a moment of silence before she brought him toward them and let him slide to the ground. Rose held her hands out to take the prisoner off Neptune’s shoulders and he gladly obliged. Sliding in after her, he helped Neo on board.

With a loud metallic thud, Rose’s eyes went wide and someone cursed outside the truck. A loud growl came and the rest of the team scurried loudly. Two more loud thuds came, followed by more growls. Rose put a hand up to tell Neptune to stay still and pointed to Neo, then motioned toward the entrance. The two girls headed to the back and two members of the team ran around the back. They both grabbed for their hands and they pulled them into the truck right as two Beowolves rounded behind them, running into each other. The truck roared to life and the garage swung open, with the other two trucks making a break for it. Their truck took off and Rose looked back to them.

“Guns up. We’re getting out of here.” Now that was something Neptune could get behind. Kicking up dirt as they went, the trucks tore off away from the waking nest of wolves and a loud shriek came from above them, along with the screams of a swarm of birds. “Shit… Focus on the birds for now. Don’t worry about the wolves! I’ll handle them!” They were almost far enough.

Gunfire rained out from the other vehicles onto the Beowolves. Rose doubted that the other teams would be as focused on the aerial threats as the ground ones, but they would do as much as they could. When it came down to it, the other vehicles survival depended on Torchwick and whoever 7 had been assigned to.

White eyes blazed out from amid the wolves and a lone wolf jumped out toward her… Not today. Rose triggered her weapon’s compound bow mode and fired an arrow into it. Falling backwards, it writhed as it tumbled across the ground and was trampled.

“Seriously?!” Neptune shouted. “Arrows?” Rose rolled her eyes and an explosion set off among the wolves. She gave him a pointed glare and he looked at her in a stupor. He shook himself out of it and continued suppressing fire. “I take that back!”

With a click of something on the body of her bow, a series of explosions took place around them, lighting up the night sky. A number of Beowolves were caught in the explosion, but many of them stayed in hot pursuit. Rose still had her work cut out for her, but things seemed to be going well… Until the Nevermore sprang into action.

“Rose,” a dark skinned man with dark green hair and golden eyes called back. “What the hell are we going to do about that?!”

“Ah, crapbaskets!” Crapbaskets??? That was a word Neptune had only heard from members of Squad 9. Did it recently catch on or something? 9 hadn’t received any new members that he knew of and they pretty much kept to themselves. A Reaper was the last kind of person they’d be caught dealing with, especially with how wary Blake was of outsiders.

The Reaper backed up and jumped onto a bar just above the entrance and swung herself up to the roof of the box and took aim. It was a bit hard for her to focus out here, with so many of the creatures. With a loud shriek, she felt herself become slightly disoriented and the voice that had been with her for years screamed inside her mind, begging for her to kill something. The feeling made her sick as her body tried to subconsiously respond to its call, but shook it off. She couldn’t afford to lose herself right now. If she indulged it in this situation, she wouldn’t be able to tell friend from foe. She’d be looked at just like F411 and she refused to be on the level as her. She lined up her shot and waited for the avian mutant to rear itself for an attack. Just a little closer… A liiiittle closer… and-

 _KSSSSSSH. PAH!!!!!_ A long trail of smoke came from behind her and crashed into the Nevermore and it crash to the ground in a brilliant explosion that lit the sky. A wave of dirt and rocks sprayed the area as the bird’s body took out a large portion of wolves and their numbers thinned significantly, despite the still vast number.

“Renny!” A girl danced flamboyantly on top of a fourth truck that slowed down to match the speed of the other trucks. “Did you see that?! It was all like SKWAAA and then KABOOM!!!!” The pitch of the girl’s voice dropped into a guttural pitch with the last word as she threw a triumphant arm in the arm and waved her rocket launcher around effortlessly, causing Rose to give a single laugh to herself. Of course they’d be out here. A wolf caught up to them and jumped for Nora but Rose wouldn’t have that. She jumped across onto 9’s roof and tackled Nora before it could swipe at her.

“Are you nuts?!” Rose rolled both of their bodies over to avoid another set of claws. She pushed them toward the lip of the truck and swung Nora into the truck, but the wolf swung around and grabbed her by her cape with a loud roar. As she hung there, her eyes locked with those of Squad 9’s and she decided she couldn’t let this happen again. Thinking quickly, she swung herself around it and wrapped the cape around its neck. With a hard yank, its neck snapped and it let go, taking her with it.

Untangling herself, she freed herself from it at the last second and found herself tumbling toward another wolf. She planted a firm foot into the new wolf’s face and leapt off of it onto another one that bucked as she latched onto it. How the hell did she wind up in a predicament like this?

“Rose!” Pyrrha shouted toward her. “Above you!” Knocking away the Beowolves in its path, the Nevermore had returned with a vengeance. A shrill cry echoed through the Wasteland as it pursued the humans. With a second shriek, Rose grip loosened as that disorienting feel swarmed over her again. Her mind buzzed and that terrible desire came to the front of her mind again.

Shaking the buzz away, she thrusted her bow into its beak as she intercepted its attack. Clinging to the riser of her weapon for dear life, the Nevermore thrashed around in an effort to dislodge her from its bill and she cursed her luck. What the hell had she done to deserve this today? She was gonna’ have whiplash like a motherfucker later.

A bullet pelted into the side of its skull, irritating it more than anything and Rose searched for the projectile’s origin. Standing atop the roof of his respective vehicle, Neptune had summoned the courage to come to her rescue. Now, if only they’d brought armor piercing rounds... Nevermore were known for being especially resilient for no damn reason. They were only supposed to run into Beowolves and affected humans! Not this!

The Nevermore flapped its wings violently, stirring up a turbulent wind, riddled with its own feathers.  The feather chased after the trucks, splintering the ground beneath her and making it difficult to find a Beowolf-free landing zone. As if reading her mind, Squad 6’s car slowed up beneath her and she collapsed her bow, landing hard on the roof.

“Rose! Get back on Squad 9’s car!” Roman grinned as 9 slowed to match their speed. “Don’t worry about us!”

“Torchwick, what’s going on?” Rose’s voice filled with worry. She could feel the vehicle slowing.

“You don’t have time to worry! Just, tell Neo I’m sorry I lied!” She heard something slam shut at the back of the truck and assumed that his team had closed themselves in.

“Wait, Torchwi-.” Something santched at her cape again, pulling her away as the vehicle died out and rolled to a stop. The remaining packmates latched onto the still truck, tearing into pieces of it until the truck was swarmed in a black mass that rocked back and forth.

“Let me go!” Rose tried to climb up but she was pinned down forcefully. Pinned down by her protege, she struggled and screamed at her. “No one should ever have to watch someone they love die!” She headbutt Pyrrha hard and the red-head fell back. Scrambling to her feet, Rose ran toward the exit, but her face slammed into the metal floor as Pyrrha kicked her feet out from under her and their struggle resumed. “Pyrrha, I said LET! ME! GO!”

Pyrrha’s eye widened as Rose’s burned with a searing white hot glow and a sharp pain suddenly jarred Rose’ side. Rose screamed in agony as her wound came to life. As her consciousness was swallowed up, a loud ring screamed through her ears and a wave of heat pressed into the vehicle. Making one last effort, she leaned her head back just as Squad 6’s truck went up in flames, bursting into a fiery graveyard for the squad and Grimm alike. Bits and pieces of the truck flew in every direction and Rose succumbed to the exhaustion and pain for a second time that night.

... C0RV15 would be so disappointed in how easily Pyrrha had taken her down...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooOOoo
> 
> AN: Eh, I guess Pyrrha’s gotta’ do what she’s gotta’ do to keep Rose from making a mistake – even if it means getting physical. Rose is kinda’ stubborn. I know I kinda’ just introduced 6 to kill them, but hey. It’s plot stuff. 6 exists pretty much as a catalyst for Rose to change her current relationship with 9 and to reveal a bit about how she feels in regard to Weiss and Yang. Her comment about watching loved ones die is meant to imply that she holds deep regret for dying in front of Weiss and that she knew how Weiss felt for her.
> 
> The opening of the chapter details her time after she “died” and before she became R053. It’s the day she met Cinder and the conditions that allowed it to happen. It doesn’t detail much about Cinder. Next chapter will go into how Ruby became R053 and V1 and her partner are introduced. We also have more people figuring out who she is, which brings the question to mind: Just how much denial can 9 be in?
> 
> Lastly, the name at the end is pronounced Core-Vee-15. While this person chose it with a word in mind, this is how Hunter’s actually pronounce it and is the only name that receives this treatment. There is a reason for this and it might make you guys laugh. Anyways, thanks for sticking around for all these chapters!

**Author's Note:**

> So I thought it’d be cool to give you guys a bit of purpose for the storyline this time. We will be following Agent Rose as she tries to get back what Cinder has stolen from her. I’ve taken influences from Left4Dead, Dying Light, and Parasite Eve. I’m a huge lover of horror franchises, but I like the idea of Resident Evil’s Mutations, as opposed to just having zombies. Cities are now enclosed structures that keep mutations out and humanity in and the outer walls are where the military exists. Hunters are a special type of human that only come from one establishment that protects humanity from uncharted areas. I honestly hope to paint a world that feels similar to The Last of Us, which has probably jumped up to being my favorite horror franchise. Anyway, thanks for reading!


End file.
